The Cracking of the Clans
by not-another-blond
Summary: "But how did the four Clans split, Nightfoot?" "It is a long story, Mistkit. You will hear of bloodshed, of violence, of starvation, of revenge, of death. But it is the story of a new beginning, too. For with great sacrifice, comes great gain..."
1. Chapter 1

Silverkit bounced excitedly as she heard Firestar calling out to the Clan. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

She ran out of the den, followed by Dawnkit. Their mother, Dovewing, followed them out of the den. "Not so fast, kits. You'll get your pelts all dirty! You're two moons old, not some ridiculous kit who just came out of the den for the first time!" Silverkit looked down at the white splash of fur on her chest. She licked it a few times in embarrassment. Pinekit purred in amusement. "Mousebrain!"

Her father, Bumblestripe, padded up. "Come on, let's go," he meowed.

"The time has come," Firestar called. "The Twolegs are less than three tail-lengths from our dens. No cat can survive much longer with them so close to our camp. When I went to the Moonpool, I met the other three leaders. It seems that we all want to move. Our territories are all being invaded."

Silverkit bounced nervously. Should she tell Firestar about the tunnels that she and Dawnkit had discovered only a few days before? She glanced at her white-furred sister. Dawnkit seemed to have had the same thought. She kept looking at Firestar, twitching a furry gray ear, and nuzzling Snowkit for reassurance.

"Jayfeather came with me to the Moonpool," continued Firestar. "He will tell you the sign that StarClan sent him."

Jayfeather looked awful. He lay at the edge of the clearing, having collapsed there last night after the long journey to the Moonpool. At Firestar's words, he jerked up and struggled to walk to the Highledge. When he was just below it, he looked up at Firestar beseechingly. With a sigh, Lionblaze walked up behind Jayfeather and shoved him up to a rock just below the ledge. Jayfeather grunted. "I'm not an elder! I don't need help!"

_Poor Jayfeather,_ thought Silverkit. _Dovewing and Ivypool's litters born at the same time must have exhausted him, especially right after that battle with RiverClan. I can't imagine helping two queens kit at once. No wonder he's so exhausted._

Jayfeather began speaking, his voice rasping a little more with every word. StarClan had told him that they must move, he said. They said that the journey would be hard, but made easier by a single kit.

_Oh, no._ Silverkit's heart sank. _That's me they're talking about. I'll get in so much trouble if I tell Firestar._

Jayfeather finished speaking and lay down again. Murmurs spread through the Clan. "Shouldn't the journey be made harder with kits to care for?" yowled Brambleclaw from the elders' den.

"Kits are the future of ThunderClan," spat Dovewing.

"It is settled already," yowled Firestar. "We must move. Stock up on prey. Eat well. We must all be healthy for the trip."

The meeting broke apart. Cats drifted off in twos or threes, casting suspicious glances at the group of kits.

Ivypool gently pushed Snowkit away. "Go play with Dawnkit and Silverkit. Dovewing and I need to talk."

Snowkit scurried over to them. Silverkit stared blankly at the two other kits as they began to wrestle. She quickly slipped away.

"Firestar?" Her voice sounded like the squeak of a mouse in the huge den. She called out again.

"Were you calling for me, Silverkit?" said Firestar from the back. He padded closer. "What's wrong?"

"I- I did something bad," she confessed, shuffling her paws. Firestar cocked his head. "How?"

"I snuck out of camp with Dawnkit. We wanted to explore. We found tunnels!" She brightened. "We saw rabbits! And we smelled fresh air, but there was a boulder blocking the way. But there was grass in the tunnels, too. And a hole in the top of one." Silverkit jumped up and down as she remembered the sprawl of yellow grass, just recovering after the long snows of leaf-bare.

"Is that where you went when you disappeared for four days? You told us ShadowClan cats captured you!"

She hung her head. "They did at first. That yucky cat Nightkit tried to take me prisoner… but then we escaped and found the tunnels. They were so cool!"

"You shouldn't have lied, Silverkit."

Her heart sank. "You won't punish us, will you?"

"No! You actually found something useful. I'll inform the other leaders of your discovery. You made this journey much easier. I'm proud of you. Telling me was the right thing to do."

She looked up into the leader's eyes. They twinkled back at her. He was amused! Indignation and gratitude swelled in her belly. "Thank you, Firestar!"


	2. Chapter 2

Silverkit mewled with pain as a sharp stone dug into her pad. This journey was hard and tiring. Behind her, Dovewing carried Redkit, who coughed weakly. He had caught greencough shortly after they had left the camp. Now he hung limply in Dovewing's jaws.

She sighed with relief as Firestar called, "Clans! We have come to a stopping point. You may rest now."

She flopped down and sank into dreamless sleep.

"No!" Her mother's wail jolted her awake. "No! Redkit! Please wake up!" She opened her eyes, twisting her head. Dovewing stood over Redkit, who was lying motionless in her paws.

"She won't wake up!" cried Dovewing. Beside her, Pinekit sniffed warily at her brother. "Mother!" she cried. "Why doesn't he wake up?"

"Pinekit... he's- he's dead," cried Dovewing. Silverkit sniffed at Redkit. Poor Redkit. To end life this early to a sickness that he didn't welcome, without becoming even an apprentice, seemed too painful to her, and she turned away as a tear fell from her eye to the ground.

Silverkit's pads had never hurt this much. She groaned, and Dovewing picked her up gently by her scruff. "You're getting much too heavy," she muttered. "I shouldn't be carrying you. You can walk yourself."

"I miss Redkit," she muttered. Dovewing sighed. "I know, little star," she murmured. "He's with StarClan now."

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here near me for a meeting," yowled Firestar. Silverkit pricked her ears. Blackstar had named a new apprentice, Nightpaw, yesterday. Would Firestar do the same for her?

He did. "Silverkit, Dawnkit, and Pinekit, please come up here."

"Oh, no!" cried Pinekit. "He's making us apprentices!"

Silverkit nudged her and purred. "Of course he is, mousebrain!" For the first time in moons, her sadness for Redkit was lifted.

"I'm gonna be sick!" whined Pinekit.

Silverkit pulled away in horror. "Ew!"

Dovewing nudged them gently. "Ivypool said the same thing when she was made an apprentice," she meowed. "Now look at her! Off you go. You're going to be fine."

They scampered up to Firestar.

"These kits have reached their sixth moon, and it is time for them to become apprentices." Firestar said. "Silverkit, from this day forward, you will be known as Silverpaw."

He beckoned with his tail for a cat to come forward. "Mistwing, you will mentor this young cat. StarClan honors your kindness and wisdom, and I hope that you will pass on all you have learned to this young cat."

The beautiful black and silver tabby bowed her head and touched noses with Silverpaw, her yellow eyes glinting in the half-light of the tunnel.

"Dawnkit, from this day forward you will be known as Dawnpaw. Frostgaze, you will mentor Dawnpaw. StarClan honors your fighting skill and courage, and I hope you will pass on all that you know to Dawnpaw."

The red-furred cat with his cold, gray gaze stepped up to Dawnpaw. Dawnpaw looked nervous as she touched his nose.

"Pinekit, from this day forward you will be known as Pinepaw. Ivypool, you will mentor Pinepaw. The Clans honor your courage and bravery, and I know that you will teach your apprentice to follow the warrior code."

"Silverpaw! Dawnpaw! Pinepaw! Silverpaw! Dawnpaw! Pinepaw!"

She puffed out her snowy white chest and met Nightpaw's gaze defiantly. _You can't beat me! I'm gonna be a better warrior than all the cats in ShadowClan put together, and you won't stop me no matter what!_

__**A.N.- I know that cats DON'T cry, but since they're personified in Warriors to show human emotions, I figured, why not let them express the human emotions in human ways? And by the way... I have written a lot more of this story, and these chapters are kind of bad because I wrote them a long time ago. I'll try to upload daily.**


	3. Chapter 3

She groaned. What was the point of doing patrols? All they did was walk up and down the tunnels. And this night, Firestar had put her on patrol with that mousebrained cat Nightpaw.

They silently paced the tunnels. The iciness was almost too much for her. She spun around, flinching as Nightpaw did the same, kicking gravel in her eyes.

"Ow!"

"Oh- I'm sorry!" Nightpaw bent down in front of her. She struggled to open her eyes. They watered uncontrollably, and a tear streaked down her silver fur. She angrily sliced at his nose. "What did you do that for?"

He winced. "I didn't do it on purpose- I-"

Silverpaw shied away as their whiskers brushed. Her heart skipped a beat. _Ew! I touched a ShadowClan cat! I'm poisoned forever!_

"S- s-" stuttered Nightpaw, stepping back. "Ouch!" He lifted his paw again, stepping off of a sharp stone. Blood spurted out of his pad. He gasped. "Ow-ow-ow!" Silverpaw's eyes widened. His pad was bleeding so fiercely, he was staining the cave floor red. She crouched next to him. "Lick it," she ordered.

He licked it once, flinching away from her. She leaned in closer and growled, "Lick it!"

He obliged, lapping at the bleeding pad, but it only made it worse. He thrust his muzzle in his face. She could see the whites of his eyes. "It won't work!"

Silverpaw stumbled back. Nightpaw tried to put his paw back down. "Ow!" he yowled, removing another stone from the other pad. He gasped and slid towards her.

His breath smelled like sagebrush. His eyes glowed a bright green. The fur on his ears tufted above into a point. She saw every detail of his fur as if it was highlighted.

Silverpaw cried out as he fell on her, unable to stand anymore. He was losing too much blood! Silverpaw struggled to get out before he fainted. He grabbed her. "Help me!" She looked back in his eyes. They reflected her, a ridiculous scared apprentice trying to be a medicine cat. She groaned as Nightpaw's eyes closed. His nose brushed against hers once before he slid to the floor, eyes closing, head hitting the floor with a dull thump, to lie unconscious until morning.

Silverpaw woke up to feel a warm pelt pressed against hers. She twisted her head around, seeing the other cats preparing to leave already; tongue already half out to lick her sleep-ruffled fur, she blinked as she saw not the white pelt of her sister, but the spotted pelts of Nightpaw and Sunpaw. She drew back, fur prickling, as Nightpaw stretched and turned his face towards her.

"Oh…" Nightpaw looked as embarrassed as Silverpaw felt. She leapt to her paws, avoiding Sunpaw, looking for an excuse to run away, when she saw her sister curled up with Snowpaw a few tail-lengths away.

"Dawnpaw," she whispered, shaking her sister's shoulder. "Wake up! We have to go!"

Dawnpaw and Snowpaw stretched, tails brushing against each other. "Silverpaw!" Dawnpaw complained. "I was having the most wonderful dream about a fat squirrel-"

"Mousebrain," muttered Pinepaw, opening her eyes blearily.

"Come on!" Silverpaw interrupted, her tail swishing irritably. She gestured towards the other cats, who had already begun to eat. Dawnpaw sighed and picked up a vole. Silverpaw chewed halfheartedly on a thrush, but her mind was on Nightpaw, who was watching her…

They padded over a thin path on the tunnel- mountain, watching the skies warily for bats. Silverpaw hung back to watch the elders, carefully placing her paws so that she would not slip.

Blackstar was watching her, eyes narrowed. "Nightpaw," he meowed quietly. "Will you go and help Silverpaw with the elders?"

_But I can manage on my own! _Silverpaw narrowed her eyes. Did Blackstar really think she needed help from a ShadowClan cat? She shook her head, troubled, as Nightpaw padded over.

He dipped his head politely. "Silverpaw."

"Nightpaw," she said, nodding her head respectfully and trying to keep her voice from trembling as his green eyes pierced her blue ones. She turned her head and mouthed his name again, feeling the delicious taste of it on her tongue, not noticing the rock ahead of her until she tripped over it.

Silverpaw let out a yowl as her paws slid on the rock and she tumbled off of the precipice. She swiped at thin air, hoping to find a hold, and managed to grasp a rough edge of the rock. The apprentice gritted her teeth as her claws scraped the rock.

Silverpaw yowled as her claws slid off the rock. She was about to give up and let herself tumble into the abyss when strong jaws gripped her scruff. His muscles strained, his teeth clamped on her neck, the cat that had saved her life hauled her to safety. Weak with terror, Silverpaw looked up and saw Nightpaw, his pupils diluted with terror.

"Thank you," Silverpaw gasped. "I'm safe now."

"I thought that I would lose you forever to StarClan!" he panted, crouching over her and giving her ear a few swift licks. She pushed herself up and padded on, her pelt barely brushing his, but still tingling with relief- and something else.

Blackstar narrowed his eyes.

Silverpaw kept watch on top of a rock. Her gaze swept over the sleeping cats below, and she told herself that she was looking for her sister, not Nightpaw.

"Hi, Silverpaw."

The voice startled her, and she lost her balance on the rock. It was only a short drop to the ground below, but Silverpaw scraped her pads hard on the rock. She licked the grit out of her pad as Sunpaw bounded down. "Sorry, Silverpaw! I'll get you some herbs for that!" Silverpaw remembered that Sunpaw's sister, the pretty gray she-cat Thrushpaw, was Jayfeather's apprentice. Sunpaw found herbs after a short search. He pressed the juices into her pads. Silverpaw felt relief immediately, looking into Sunpaw's yellow eyes. "Thanks."

"You're welcome," he purred, licking the fur behind her ear affectionately. Silverpaw stiffened. Nightpaw had licked her in the exact same spot on her neck. Her thoughts raced. _Nightpaw's a ShadowClan cat, _she thought. _It's Sunpaw you should be watching. _She settled into the warmth of Sunpaw, comfortably sharing tongues with him.

Yet she could still feel the eyes of Blackstar burning into her pelt.

**A.N.- YAY! The chapter you've all been waiting for (kinda)! I'm also updating Chatroom of the Clans and Tech of the Clans.**


	4. Chapter 4

The cats were finally out of the tunnels and near their destination. Silverpaw felt as though her paws would drop off, and the wind had actually blown her off of her paws once. She sighed in relief as Firestar called out to signal the stopping point for the day. She padded over next to Sunpaw, a little way off from the others; they lay underneath a large oak tree, her back pressed firmly against his. Nightpaw made a slight noise of discontent and joined them.

She woke up sometime in the middle of the night to an ominous creaking. She looked up at the tree they were sheltering under.

_Surely it wasn't at that tilt before! _Silverpaw felt her eyes widen as the tree shifted and began to slowly move earthward towards her sleeping companions.

"Great StarClan!" she yowled. Sunpaw woke immediately and stumbled out of range of the tree, but Nightpaw was still asleep.

"Nightpaw!" she howled, shoving her friend hard.

"What?" His sleepy mew wasn't enough to convince Silverpaw that he was awake. She bit him on the ear hard.

Nightpaw let out a cry of alarm and shot to his paws, but the tree creaked and fell faster, until Silverpaw could see that it was going to crush him. She shot to his side and thrust her shoulder into his, knocking him and herself out of the way a second before the tree crashed to the ground. Nightpaw was fully awake now. He stared in horror at where he had been only a moment before, covered in the trunk of the great tree.

"You could have died," Silverpaw gasped. Nightpaw pressed himself into her, shivering.

"We shall hold the Gatherings in the hollow that I found with Jayfeather. The Moonpool, we discovered, has a little river. This river flows down into the edge of ThunderClan territory, where it ends in a cave. Let all Clans go their separate ways, and may StarClan be with you!"

Silverpaw shivered as Firestar yowled the words that would separate the Clans forever again. She tried not to think, _and Nightpaw and me._

She twitched her ears as Nightpaw bounded over to her. "Meet me here at moonhigh," he whispered in her ear. "I need to tell you something that will affect both of our Clans.

They found their camp on top of a cascade of rocks that leaned against the cliff. Hollow boulders sat on top, just waiting to be made into a den. It looked impossible to get up at first, but they had found a slightly easier path. They were sure that no other cat could take that much time snooping around and trying to find the entrance before they were caught in another Clans' territory. A couple fox-lengths away they found a hollow, filled with soft sand and rimmed around the edges with bushes.

In the side of the cliff, on top of the rocks, Jayfeather and Thrushwing found a cave that sloped sharply down to the ground. Thrushwing fell the first time that they found it, so they put soft moss at the bottom for a cushioned landing.

The camp was perfect.

She paced over the grass, searching the hills expectantly for Nightpaw's dark pelt. Her heart sank as she realized that she couldn't see him. She tried hard to spot his pelt against the green and black of night.

"You're not the only cat that can hide," Nightpaw said from behind her. She spun around. "Nightpaw!"

"Silverpaw."

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Nightpaw's green stare met hers. "No, Silverpaw. I'm not."

"But you're not in StarClan! The tree didn't kill you!"

"I would be better in StarClan than here without you."

Her eyes widened as she realized what he was saying. "No!" she gasped, doing her best to force down the excitement was shooting through her veins. "I'm in ThunderClan!"

"I want you here, Silverpaw! I want you here next to me, I want to feel your pelt against mine, and I want you! Don't you feel the same?"

Silverpaw shut her eyes against his anguished green gaze. "We're in different Clans, though."

"That doesn't matter! Silverpaw, I have to know! Do you feel this way about me?"

Silverpaw looked into the depths of his desperate eyes, then up at the motionless cats in Silverpelt. Surely StarClan couldn't deny her this, when it was so important to her?

She leaned forward and pressed her muzzle into Nightpaw's pelt.

"I love you, Nightpaw."

Nightpaw's eyes gleamed with delight. He wove his body around hers. "Meet me here tomorrow night. I can't go any longer without you. I'll see you soon!" He bounded away, towards ShadowClan territory.

Silverpaw stared after him, guilt and excitement coursing through her.

"Silverpaw, wake up!"

Silverpaw opened her eyes and was instantly blinded by sunlight. "Ugh," she groaned.

"Silverpaw, you're on dawn patrol with Firestar! You're going to set the new borders!" It was Pinepaw, and she was obviously jealous. Silverpaw rolled over, stretched, and pushed herself up onto her paws. She blinked her eyes as she realized what her sister was telling her.

"I'm setting the borders?"

"Go!" Pinepaw butted her affectionately. Silverpaw bounded off.

She was out in the middle of the forest with Firestar, Berrynose, and her mentor, Mistwing. She marked the tree that they had agreed on and trotted back to the others, stopping to pounce on a thrush on the way.

"Good, Silverpaw." Firestar said. "Mistwing is obviously training you well. You'll be a warrior soon! Now, I want you to check the scent. What can you smell?"

Silverpaw drew in the air over her scent glands. "'I smell…" She drew in a deep breath and the musky odor of ShadowClan rolled over her. "ShadowClan… and I smell a mouse! And I smell a Twoleg and its dog, but they probably passed by a couple of days ago. I smell a fox, but it's stale too." She drew in another breath and growled with pleasure. "Catmint!"

Firestar pricked his ears. "Where?"

Silverpaw angled her ears towards the border. "There!"

The remains of an old Twoleg nest rotted near the border, but the herbs in the garden were flourishing. They sniffed around and found catmint and rosemary, as well as lots of herbs that they had never smelled in their lives. "The medicine cats will love this," Mistwing meowed happily.

"Silverpaw, we're going to split up and hunt now. You may hunt near the border. We'll spread out and catch a few mice, and then meet at this spot."

Silverpaw padded over to the ShadowClan border and sat looking out at Nightpaw's territory. She smelled a mouse and pounced on it absently, burying it in the shadow of a small tree.

"Hey! What are you doing, stealing our prey?" Silverpaw looked up. Her heartbeat sped up when she saw Tigerheart bounding towards her. She fluffed out her fur.

"I'm not stealing prey! You just stepped over the ThunderClan border!"

"Did I?"

"Yes, you mouse-brain!"

Tigerheart sniffed the air. "Oh. I'm so sorry. You smell too much like badger for me to notice!"

Silverpaw hissed, but stopped when Berrynose and Mistwing trotted up. "What's going on?"

"Tell your apprentice to stop stealing ShadowClan prey!" Several brawny ShadowClan warriors appeared on either side of Tigerheart. Silverpaw's heart sank as she recognized Nightpaw, standing on the outside of the patrol.

"I didn't! I was on this side of the border all the time!"

"You didn't seem to notice that the ShadowClan markers are three tail-lengths behind you!"

Mistwing sniffed the air. "He's right, Silverpaw. It stinks of ShadowClan." Berrynose hissed, fur bristling, and shook his head. "Maybe that's just because his filthy scent crossed the border!"

Hisses erupted on the ShadowClan side of the border, and Silverpaw took the opportunity to hiss, "Nightpaw!" But he was too busy snarling at her Clanmates to notice.

"ThunderClan thinks that every Clan owes them a debt," Nightpaw mocked. Silverpaw's heart skipped a beat. Was Nightpaw criticizing her Clan? Anger rose in her as he added, "It's all because of that kittypet, Firestar!"

_Is that what he thinks of me? _Silverpaw felt confusion engulf her.

"They steal prey and break the warrior code because they think that the Clans owe them something!"

Berrynose snapped. Screeching, he dove at Tigerheart and gripped his scruff with his teeth.

Nightpaw turned his head and saw Silverpaw. For a heartbeat, Silverpaw saw fear, regret, and sorrow in his gaze, but next all she saw was terror- the terror of a cat who was about to lose his only love-

Silverpaw leapt at Nightpaw, bowling him over and slashing at his face with unsheathed claws. She dully heard Berrynose let out a screech of triumph and Mistwing howl in hatred as she scored her claws across him again and again.

"I don't know why I even bothered with you!" she hissed at him as he struggled to push her off. "What did I ever see in you?"

"Silverpaw- I didn't mean it!" he yowled, but Silverpaw was driven beyond fury. "Go, you traitor!" she snarled. "I don't ever want to see your face again!"

Nightpaw stumbled to his paws and dashed off.

Silverpaw's heart slowly sank.


	5. Chapter 5

Silverpaw paced around the field where she and Nightpaw had met, miserable. She hunched her shoulders and looked in the mud at two pawprints. One had the scent of ThunderClan, one of ShadowClan. She sighed and looked up- and her gaze met green.

"Nightpaw?" Silverpaw whispered.

"Silverpaw!" Nightpaw leapt out of the bushes and nuzzled her. "Please forgive me, Blackstar made me do it! He said that if I didn't say it, he'd tell all the Clans my secret!"

"What secret?"

"You must know that we're breaking the warrior code, Silverpaw! He saw us together, he saw you save my life! I can't leave you, but Blackstar thinks that I'm not loyal. I love _you, _Silverpaw, but not your Clan."

Silverpaw looked at her paws, ashamed. "It's almost full moon," she meowed, hoping to change the subject.

They looked at each other awkwardly; then Silverpaw scurried around him and batted at his ears playfully. "Race you to the stream!" She bounded off.

Purring, Nightpaw dashed after her.

Exhausted after their romp, the two cats curled up in the grass. Silverpaw cast one last glance at the stars of Silverpelt. Her tail rested on Nightpaw's flank. She closed her eyes and matched his breathing with her own.

Silverpaw awoke to feel the soft pelt of Nightpaw and the itchy grass, dew cool against her skin. She stretched and sniffed the air, then looked at the sky.

"Great StarClan!" It was almost sunrise. She nuzzled Nightpaw and bounded off.

Silverpaw slunk into the den and trotted over to her nest. Dawnpaw was gone. Worry immediately stabbed her, but she forced it down. _She's probably just using Dirtplace._ Indeed, a few moments later her sister crept quietly into the den.

"Silverpaw," she hissed.

Silverpaw raised her head and yawned, trying to act as though she had just woken up. "Dawnpaw! I was dreaming about the most wonderful vole-"

"No, you weren't." Dawnpaw said. "You were out in the meadow, talking with- oh, I don't know- Nightpaw?"

Silverpaw's heart skipped a beat. "Nightpaw?" she said wildly. "Isn't he in ShadowClan? Doesn't he have a gray pelt, with black feet and black spots? And his eyes are really green?"

"Yes," Dawnpaw sighed.

"I don't know who you're talking about!"

"I don't believe you, Silverpaw. I watched you. I saw you touch noses and race each other and rub your pelts together." Dawnpaw leaned over and plucked a single black hair from Silverpaw's gray pelt. "Pinepaw saw too. But I made her promise not to tell."

"Dawnpaw!" Silverpaw flattened her ears in shock. "You won't tell Firestar, will you? You can't tell Firestar!"

"No, I can't," she hissed. "I know exactly how you feel. I just want you to know that I'll cover for you."

Relief washed over Silverpaw. "Thanks, Dawnpaw."

"I knew you'd do the same for me," she muttered, looking uncomfortable. Silverpaw twitched her ears towards the white pelt of Snowpaw. "Are you talking about him?"

"Yes! I'm so embarrassed! My whole reputation is built on my tom-hating nature, but I can't stop loving him."

"Whatever!" Silverpaw grunted. "He's a _ThunderClan _cat. You're not breaking the warrior code. Honestly, Dawnpaw. Everybody knows. You've been hunting together and eating and sharing tongues. He even moved nests to be next to you. Every cat can see that you stick to him like a burr."

Dawnpaw shook her head. "How did that happen?"

Dawnpaw and Silverpaw woke at midnight the next day to hear screeches outside the camp.

"What's that?" Silverpaw gasped. Dawnpaw shook her head. "I don't know. It's not cats, though. The Gathering's tonight! StarClan would be furious!"

They charged out and sighed in relief. It was only a badger, jumped on by Sunpaw, Mistwing, and Stormheart. Dawnpaw dove into the fight with a screech. Silverpaw scratched the badger's eyes. The fight was going well, and the badger had almost been driven out when another one blundered into the clearing and heaved a huge paw, full of claws, in her direction. Silverpaw froze in terror and waited for StarClan to claim her.

She yowled in shock as the lithe body of another feline hit her. "Get down!" Sunpaw growled as the badger stopped, shaking its head in confusion, and looked around for its prey. Silverpaw pressed her pelt against Sunpaw, trembling.

"You saved me," she murmured, pressing her head against his. Sunpaw purred.

"If I hadn't, ThunderClan would have lost one of its bravest, most beautiful apprentices," he mewed. Silverpaw purred back until a yowl cracked the sky and the badgers roared in triumph, tossing Mistwing off of their shoulders and blundering across the clearing. Mistwing flew through the air and hit a rock with a sickening crack.

"Mistwing!" yowled Silverpaw, and she dashed to her mentor's side.

Mistwing's head was bloody. Silverpaw thought that she was dead until she coughed a bit and looked at Silverpaw. "My apprentice," she sighed affectionately. Silverpaw frantically pawed at her.

"I'll find you some herbs," she meowed quickly. "You can rest, and soon you'll be as good as new."

"Relax, Silverpaw. I am old. I will go to StarClan in peace," she purred. Lifting her head to lick Silverpaw's ear gently, she meowed, "I will never be far from you." Her head rested on the rock and she closed her eyes.

"Mistwing!" Silverpaw yowled desperately. "Mistwing!"

She glared at the badgers, red clouding her vision. Shoving Sunpaw out of the way, she leapt at the badgers. Whipping around them with the speed of StarClan, Silverpaw clawed at the animals with all of her strength. Even as the badgers howled and stumbled away, Silverpaw's grief and anger wasn't spent. She leapt at the last beast and bit its ear hard. The badgers loped away.

"Silverpaw!" Sunpaw pressed his muzzle to her pelt.

"What's going on?" Silverpaw turned to see Firestar standing in front of the patrol of cats that had gone to the Gathering.

Sunpaw padded over, his head bowed. "Firestar, two badgers attacked our camp. We drove them off, but Mistwing sacrificed herself."

Firestar's ears flattened in shock. Mistwing was his deputy's daughter, and Firestar had been close to her. He lowered his muzzle to her fur and began to lap at the blood on her fur. Silverpaw joined him, the rhythm of their tongues soothing even as she knew that this was the last time that she would ever share tongues with her mentor.

Silverpaw heard Firestar call a Clan meeting. She padded out to sit underneath the Highledge with Dawnpaw, Sunpaw, Snowpaw, and the two other apprentices by her side.

"The Clan is strong," Firestar began. "Just yesterday we drove off two badgers who were harassing our warriors."

Hisses and calls rose from the crowd of cats.

"However," Firestar continued, straining to raise his voice over the noise, "The making of new warriors will make our Clan even stronger, and will show the other Clans that we will still defend our borders. I would like to make five- yes, five- new warriors today."

The Clan howled in approval.

"Rainsplash, Redspot, Ivypool, and Frostgaze, are you satisfied that your apprentices are ready to become warriors?"

"Yes!' the four warriors called.

Silverpaw leapt to her paws in delight. Firestar had just named Dawnpaw, Snowpaw's, Pinepaw's, and Sunpaw's mentors! She sensed Dawnpaw hurriedly grooming her pelt and began doing the same. Suddenly, she remembered her own mentor, lying dead in the clearing, and bent her head. Could she become a warrior if her mentor were dead?

"Firestar," called Redspot, Sunpaw's mentor, "I also think that Silverpaw has done well. She helped drive off the badgers as well."

"I will stand as Silverpaw's mentor," Firestar said. "I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn."

Firestar turned his gaze to the four apprentices. "Snowpaw, Sunpaw, Dawnpaw, Pinepaw, and Silverpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do!" Silverpaw gasped, and the others echoed her. Silverpaw wondered if StarClan had ever received five warriors at once.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names. Sunpaw, you will be known as Sunsplash. StarClan honors your courage and fierceness in battle."

Firestar leapt from the ledge and rested his muzzle on Sunsplash's head. Sunsplash licked his shoulder and went to sit next to the other warriors.

"Pinepaw, you will be known as Pinewhisker. StarClan honors your loyalty and knowledge, and we welcome you as a warrior of the Clan."

Pinewhisker purred so loudly that Silverpaw saw the kits at the other end of the clearing looking around to see what it was.

"Snowpaw, you will be known as Snowclaw. StarClan honors your forgiving nature and your bravery." Firestar repeated the movements, and then turned to Dawnpaw.

"Dawnpaw, you will be known as Dawnfall. StarClan honors your swiftness and compassion."

Dawnfall padded over to her mate, and Firestar turned his piercing gaze to Silverpaw.

"Silverpaw, you will be known as Silverpool. StarClan honors your confidence and your knowledge of what is right."

"You have done well," murmured Firestar as he rested his muzzle on her head. Silverpool licked him on the shoulder and purred back, "I have always done my best."

As Silverpool padded over to stand next to Sunsplash and the rest of the warriors, her heart beat faster and she remembered Nightpaw. She knew now what was right, just as Firestar said. _I have to follow my heart. If Clan life isn't right for me, so be it. I won't deny that._

"We welcome you as full warriors of the Clan!" Firestar finished. The other cats crowded around them, calling their names. Silverpool blinked at Firestar. For a moment, she thought that she saw something in his eyes, but then he turned and it was gone.

She turned and padded to the edge of the camp to keep guard. Sunsplash bounded over to join her. They sat together, keeping vigil together, pelts brushing. After the long day, Silverpool wished only to fall asleep in her soft nest… as though in answer, Sunsplash yawned and curled up beside her. Silverpool looked wearily up at the stars in Silverpelt… surely she could rest… she slowly lay down next to Sunsplash and closed her eyes.

**A.N.- Sorry I couldn't upload yesterday, guys. :C I'll make up for it by posting the new chapter of Chatroom of the Clans today when I finish it.**


	6. Chapter 6

"Kits! Kits! I found kits on the WindClan border!" Ferncloud's voice broke through Silverpool's dreams like a claw through a bird's egg. She yawned and trotted out of the den, immediately opening her eyes wide as she saw two small kits squirming on the ground. Ferncloud stood protectively over the tiny bundles.

"Hush!" Silverpool hissed. "You'll wake up the whole forest!" The sky was still dark. "You found them on the WindClan border?"

"Yes! I was just taking a walk and I found them! They're less than a day old! They'll die, Silverpool, I just know that they'll die."

"No, they won't. Your kits are coming soon, too. You can feed them with your milk."

Ferncloud stopped. "That's right! Thank you, Silverpool. They'll be my kits. I can name them now."

Silverpool jerked backwards as she saw a dark cat leap out from the bushes. He pinned Ferncloud down to the ground. Silverpool strained to see him, but his pelt color was disguised by mud and twigs.

"These kits are yours!" he hissed to Ferncloud. "No cat must know their origins. And you!" He turned to Silverpool. "Don't tell anybody. No one can know!"

Silverpool backed away. "O-okay," she gasped. In a flash the cat leapt off of Ferncloud, fleeing into the bushes.

"Oh, StarClan!" wailed Ferncloud, crouching on the ground. "What was that?" Her eyes glittered as she glanced up at Silverpool. "No one can know now," she whispered. "That dark cat will kill us for sure!"

Silverpool shook her head. It had all happened so fast.

Sure enough, that night Ferncloud woke the entire camp, yowling as she kitted. Dustpelt paced frantically. "She had two already!" he wailed. "Two kits, and she didn't wake me till the third!"

"It's all right," soothed Silverpool. "She'll be okay."

That night, two white kits and a red squirmed in the nest next to Ferncloud. She licked the tufts of fur on their tiny heads and named them. "This red one will be Foxkit. The white and gray one can be Frostkit. And the little one, the spotted one, will be Icekit."

"The cats who will be going to the Gathering are Whitewing, Cloudtail, Brightheart, Silverpool, Dawnfall, Cherrypaw, Molepaw, and Stormheart," announced Firestar.

Silverpool pricked her ears. Surely a queen shouldn't go to a Gathering? Firstar knew that she had been in the nursery for a quarter-moon.

"Hey, Silverpool," Sunsplash whispered in her ear. "You should get some rest before the Gathering so you can tell me everything when you get back!"

Silverpool purred. "Stupid furball. I'll tell you everything even if I have to talk in my sleep!" But she obliged and padded over to the nursery to rest.

Before too long it was time to leave. Silverpool bounded out of the den and joined the others who were going. They leapt through the forest and into the hollow. Silverpool immediately saw Nightpaw.

"Nightpaw!" she meowed to him, winding her tail around his. He eyed her.

"Who's Nightpaw? There's no Nightpaw in ShadowClan! I'm Nightfoot now, Silverpaw!"

Silverpool batted his ears. "There's no Silverpaw either, mousebrain! My name is Silverpool."

"Wow, Silverpool," he purred. "That's a good name! I got mine right after the last- um, meeting."

"Me too!" Silverpool purred. "Nightfoot, I have to tell you something-"

"Attention, all Clans!" Silverpool pricked her ears and looked up as Firestar called the meeting. "I will start. ThunderClan is faring well. We drove off two badgers who thought that they might make a nest of our fur. They went towards your territory," he said, dipping his head to Duskstar.

"Wonderful," the dark tabby tom said wryly. "We needed another badger to drive off."

"We are also about to have a new litter of kits. Jayfeather, would you like to tell the Clans about the kits?"

Jayfeather stepped forward and dipped his head. "Yes, Firestar. I would like to tell the Clans that-"

"No!" Blackstar pushed in front of Firestar. "I will speak now! I am going to announce a traitor to all of us!"

The cats flattened their ears. Silverpool's eyes widened. Had Blackstar discovered her secret?

"I am revealing a secret that has gone on for several moons now. As all of you know, two cats from different Clans cannot have kits!"

Hisses rose from the Clans. Nightfoot's frightened emerald eyes snapped over to meet hers.

"You also know that medicine cats must not have kits!"

Silverpool's fur rose in confusion. She wasn't a medicine cat! She looked over at Thrushwing, Jayfeather's apprentice, whose eyes were widened in panic as she watched Blackstar.

"When the warrior code is broken, we must act!" Blackstar was on his paws, yowling to StarClan.

Thrushwing wasn't looking at Blackstar, Silverpool realized. She was looking at Duskstar, and he was looking back with terrified yellow eyes.

_Oh no, oh no oh no oh no! _Silverpool dodged through the cats and stood next to Thrushwing. "No, Thrushwing, no!" she cried as Blackstar yowled, "Duskstar of WindClan has been seen with Thrushwing of ThunderClan. Look at her now! Her eyes are wide with fear! Her tail swishes back and forth! These two cats have been meeting each other, and we must stop them before disaster is created between the Clans!"

It hadn't been them, Silverpool realized. Thrushwing's gray pelt and her own silver one looked the same in the moonlight. Duskstar and Nightfoot both had black pelts. And because she and Nightfoot had met where the ThunderClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan borders met, Blackstar thought that it was a WindClan cat.

"What?" Thrushwing yowled, on her paws. "I am a medicine cat! You must have seen a rogue! Jayfeather can prove that I have been in the medicine den every night!"

"No, Blackstar!" yowled Silverpool. "It was me! It was my fault! Don't blame Thrushwing!"

"What?" Firestar shot to his paws. "What are you talking about?"

Suddenly, Silverpool felt a wave of nausea spread through her. Choking back a cry as a cramp seized her, she stumbled into the bushes, ignoring Dawnfall's cry of shock.

Silverpool felt all the muscles under her pelt tense. She felt an agonizing pain in her belly.

"StarClan, help me!" she screamed.

Jayfeather appeared in the bushes, sightless eyes wide. "StarClan, no!' he yowled. " She can't have her kits this early!"

Nightfoot charged into the small circle of bushes. "Silverpool!" he howled in shock. "You're having kits?"

Silverpool let out a cry, and the pain lessened. She lay panting, exhausted by the torture.

"Is that all?" she gasped. Jayfeather felt her belly, looking worried. Instead of answering, he said, "You have a healthy she-cat."

More pain came on in waves. Silverpool tried to yowl, but the breath wouldn't come to her and she could only wheeze. Something warm trickled through her fur, and Nightfoot began desperately licking her ear. "Don't worry, Silverpool. I'm here for you."

"You have a tom," pronounced Jayfeather, the worry in his eyes turning to panic.

Her ears were splitting in half- who was making that awful shrieking noise? She squirmed around, pain piercing her, and realized it was her.

"Another she-cat," Jayfeather panted, gently pressing his paw on her flank.

Dawnfall, Firestar, and Thrushwing crowded around her. "No!" Dawnfall yowled. "StarClan, no!"

But there was still more. Silverpool could only fight for breath as the spasms racked her body and the last kit was born. It felt as though dozens of claws were digging into her, ripping out her soul. She looked up at the sky and prayed to StarClan that it would be over soon.

And then there was nothing. The agonizing pain stopped abruptly, and Silverpool drifted into blackness…

**A.N.- Okay, okay, I lied. I didn't post that chapter yesterday. Sorry :3 I'm posting a one-shot, though! And- LE GASP!- it's not a warriors! It's on my new FictionPress account under the same username! YAAAAAAAAAAY! (Well, I have to wait two days, but yeah.)**


	7. Chapter 7

She became aware of herself lying in a puddle in the midst of a forest. Cats were standing around her. She blinked once and instantly the features of the cat closest to her became sharp and recognizable.

"Mistwing!" Silverpool cried out in joy, leaping up and wincing as soreness gripped her muscles.

"Stay in the pool," Mistwing said. "StarClan is not finished healing you."

Silverpool's eyes widened, and she looked at the ground. "Am I dead?" she asked unhappily. She blinked in surprise as Mistwing shook her head. "Not yet. StarClan is trying to decide whether you are dead or sleeping." And for the first time since opening her eyes, Silverpool became aware of an argument going on between a blue-gray she-cat and a big red tom.

"She has them!" argued the big tom. "We can't let the kits of legend grow up without a mother!"

"Yet we can't let her go back down there," the she-cat retorted. "Lionheart, she came here for a reason. Was the reason to tour our hunting grounds, or was it to be one of us?"

"Come," Mistwing murmured. "Let Bluestar and Lionheart decide. I will show you your family."

"You can do that?" Silverpool asked, wanting badly to see her mates and kits.

"We will send you down. Do you want to be visible to Nightfoot, Sunsplash, or one of the kits?"

Silverpool was shocked at making such a decision. She closed her eyes. Not her kits, she decided. Their eyes wouldn't be open. Nightfoot had been with her when she took her last breath.

"Sunsplash," she meowed.

"Come with me," mewed Mistwing, and she stepped on light, swift feet through the pool and below the ground. Silverpool hesitated, but then followed.

She instantly saw her own body, surrounded by her friends and family. Well-wishers shared tongues with her.

"I'm sorry, Silverpool," whispered Dawnfall. "I couldn't save you like Pinewhisker did."

Sunsplash was off to one side, meowing urgently to Jayfeather with a wild, fierce gleam in his eye.

"You say that she might still be alive?" he wailed. "I thought that she was dead! She has to be alive! Please tell me she's-"

"Only StarClan knows for sure," Jayfeather said calmly. Silverpool twitched one ear. _Not even StarClan knows if I'm dead or not. _

"I can't believe that she would ever have two mates," Sunsplash went on miserably. "I thought she was mine. Mine only. I miss her."

_Jayfeather told him?_ She felt betrayed.

A shiver ran through her body as Sunsplash's eyes pierced her. _What do I say? What do I do? _Making her mind up quickly, she brushed her muzzle over his fur and whispered, "I am yours. I love you, Sunsplash."

"What-?" Sunsplash's ear flattened.

Suddenly she was whisked back up to StarClan. She rose from the pool and Bluestar approached her. "The decision has been made," she meowed quietly. "You shall stay alive to take care of the kits. But there has been a prophecy." Her voice turned to a whisper. "_Three to save three, two made into one. _Go with the prophecy. It has been given!"

And Silverpool awoke inside her body again.

She opened her eyes. Herbs stuck to her pelt. She heaved herself to her paws and stumbled into the nursery, where her mate looked up. The surprise in his eyes gradually turned to one of shock, then relief.

"Silverpool! You're alive!" yowled Sunsplash in joy and delight. "I knew you would be! You couldn't have been- well-" He changed the subject quickly. "Look at our wonderful kits! There are three she-cats and a tom. We have to name them."

Silverpool looked down at her mewling kits. She slowly licked the smallest one, a silvery-blue she-cat who looked like she had more fur than bones. "Willowkit," she whispered, and she was shocked to hear how weak her voice was.

"I like that," said Sunsplash softly. "This one can be named Flamekit." He licked a tuft of orange striped fur that was sticking up off of Flamekit's head.

She swept her tail wearily around to rest it on the head of a pure black she-cat who looked shockingly like Nightfoot, but without the spots.

"Nightkit," she meowed.

"And this one," Silverpool gently pushed the last kit, a pure silver she-cat, into the warmth of her belly, "can be Splashkit."

The naming of the kits done, Silverpool lowered her head and let them squirm into her belly, squeaking and mewling, and she fell asleep.

**A.N.- Short chapter, sorry guys! Anyway, the next upload will be Part Two- from a different POV, a different time. Stuff.**


	8. Part 2: Chapter 1

"Grahhh!" Nightstar leapt at the ShadowClan invader, baring her teeth. She used her claws to slice his pelt. He yowled in shock and pain, but still managed to grab a kit from the nursery.

"Let go of him," yowled Nightstar, and she bit hard into the intruder's ear. The intruder wailed, but a giant paw came out of nowhere, begging her to calm down as it cuffed her gently, rolling her over into a soft nest of moss, where she landed on a thorn.

"Ouch!" Nightstar shook her head, blinked her indigo eyes, and became Nightkit again. She glared at Flamekit, who looked innocently back at her through wide green eyes.

"You put a thorn in my bed!" she yowled, and she leapt at him. He ducked and instead of landing on the strong body of her brother, she stumbled and plopped down in a nest full of mewling newborn kits.

"Sorry, Dawnfall!" she meowed, backing out of the nest of seven kits. Dawnfall glared, but twitched her whiskers in amusement as one of the kits squeaked in protest. "I'd hate to have six littermates," Nightkit muttered to Splashkit. She nodded in agreement.

Willowkit bounded in from where she had been looking for a mouse in the fresh-kill pile. "Watch out," she whispered. "Stinkhead's coming."

Foxpaw entered the den, as well as the foul stench of mouse bile and dog. Foxpaw looked, smelled and acted like his namesake. He was only one moon older than Nightkit, Flamekit, and Splashkit, but acted like StarClan had made him leader already. He held a bundle of moss in his jaws.

"I wouldn't be doing this if Firestar hadn't made me," he mumbled in his slurred voice. He glared at Dawnfall's kits. "First the elders, now this. I'm too cool to replace bedding," he added.

"Go away, Foxdung," hissed Flamekit. Foxpaw dropped his moss. "You're not cool enough to order me around," he complained.

They pricked their ears as Firestar called, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highledge for a meeting!"

Silverpool leapt to her paws. "It's your apprentice ceremony!" she cried. "I completely forgot! Come here, Flamekit! You too, Willowkit!"

Flamekit rolled his eyes and padded over to his mother as Foxpaw bounded away, complaining, "Now my mentor's gonna make me do it later. Why can't Frostpaw do it?"

Willowkit reluctantly followed Flamekit over to their mother. Nightkit smirked and began carefully washing herself. Splashkit did the same, and soon they padded into the clearing.

"Splashkit, Flamekit, Willowkit, and Nightkit, please come up here." Nightkit walked up the rocks that led to the Highledge with her siblings. "By naming apprentices, we show that ThunderClan will survive and remain strong. Splashkit, from this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Splashpaw. Dovewing, you will mentor Splashpaw. StarClan honors your compassion and skill in hunting, and I know that you will pass your warrior skills on to Splashpaw."

Splashpaw touched noses with Dovewing and they went over to sit with the apprentices.

"Flamekit, from this day forward you will be known as Flamepaw. Lionblaze, you will mentor Flamepaw. You have proved yourself as a good mentor with Dovewing, and I hope that you will pass on your strength and courage to Flamepaw. I am certain that Flamepaw will become a worthy warrior of ThunderClan."

Flamepaw padded over to Lionblaze with an expression of awe on his face. Nightkit knew that Lionblaze was known throughout all Clans for his fighting skill.

"Willowkit, you will be known as Willowpaw. Your mentor will be Ivypool. Ivypool, you have shown yourself as a warrior of great cunning and forethought. I trust you to pass on these skills to Willowpaw."

Willowpaw shyly padded over to her new mentor.

"Nightkit, you will be known as Nightpaw. Your mentor will be Stormheart. Stormheart, you have shown yourself to be an excellent warrior. I know that you will pass on your confidence and agility to Nightpaw."

The gray and white warrior stepped forward. Stormheart was usually confident, but now Nightpaw caught a glimpse of fear in his eyes as he touched her nose and took on the responsibility of an apprentice.

"Where will we go first?" asked Nightpaw, excited at finally being allowed outside camp. She pricked her ears as Stormheart replied, "We're going to patrol the border. I'll show you how to scent mark, and then maybe we'll practice some hunting."

"Cool!" meowed Nightpaw. She bounded away towards the exit and immediately tripped and fell down the rock pile, rolling until she hit the ground.

"Ow," she groaned, pushing herself up and shaking her paws, one by one. Stormheart bounded gracefully down. "Are you okay?" he asked, though his whiskers were twitching with amusement.

Nightpaw hissed at him playfully. She liked her mentor.

A shiver passed through her spine as she glanced behind her and saw Frostpaw, Foxpaw's brother. The tom stared at her with icy blue eyes and flattened his ears, trotting away. Nightpaw shook herself as Stormheart gently nudged her, and she pushed the incident out of her mind.

Touring the territory was more boring than she thought. They scent-marked every paw-length of the border and scared off a loner. Nightpaw groaned as they padded back to the camp to practice fighting and hunting.

"The basics of fighting," said Stormheart, "are very simple. Watch how I use them as I-"

"Attack!" yowled Nightpaw, and she leapt onto Stormheart's shoulders.

"Hey!" he protested. "I wasn't ready!"

"Surprise is a warrior's greatest weapon!" crowed Nightpaw, quoting Lionblaze. She dug her paws into his pelt, careful not to let her claws come unsheathed. Stormheart growled and threw her off, but Nightpaw landed on her paws. Neatly using her paws to flip him over, she pinned him down with her teeth at his throat.

"Wow! How did you do that?" Stormheart pushed her off of him. "Even Lionblaze can't do that!"

"You weren't ready," Nightpaw meowed awkwardly.

"Try again," invited her mentor.

Nightpaw crouched. Stormheart leapt at her, but she launched herself upward and crashed into his belly, knocking him down, and landed on top of him. Again, she put her teeth near his throat.

Stormheart gasped and lay still. Nightpaw nipped his ear. "Stormheart?"

There was no reply.

"Stormheart? Wake up!"

"You filthy ShadowClan traitor!" yowled her mentor, and he bowled Nightpaw over, pinning her down with a paw. Nightpaw struggled, but she finally admitted defeat and Stormheart let her up. She shoved him playfully with a paw.

"I didn't even see you," gasped Stormheart, getting up and licking at his dusty fur. He nipped her leg her playfully. "Race you to the fresh-kill pile."

Nightpaw dashed over to the camp, scrambling up the rocks and over to the pile. She grabbed a pigeon and had halfway finished eating it when Stormheart hauled himself into view.

"You're too fast for this old cat," he panted, sitting next to her with a vole. Nightpaw pushed him with a paw. "You're not that old!"

Suddenly Icepaw caught her attention. "Come sit with me!" he purred. Nightpaw looked at her mentor. His eyes sparkled, and he nodded his head towards Icepaw with a teasing look in his eyes. Nightpaw joined him, feeling her mentor's gaze on her back.

"So, how are you?" asked Icepaw, shoving his half-finished sparrow in her direction. "Would you like to share?" he muttered awkwardly.

"Sure," Nightpaw said, catching a teasing glance from Willowpaw and throwing back one of disdain. She could make friends with a tom if she wanted!

"I met your brother Frostpaw today," she said in an awkward attempt to make conversation.

"Pff," snorted Icepaw. "Bit of an unfriendly cat, isn't he?"

"Well… not so much unfriendly as… cold," she defended him. Icepaw shoved her playfully. "I guess it's good he was named Frostpaw then, right?"

As though they had summoned him, Frostpaw padded over to them. Shooting a curious glance at Nightpaw, he jerked his head in the direction of the medicine den. "Thrushwing wants you to help her collect marigold," he muttered.

"Okay," Icepaw muttered back, and his brother padded away.

Nightpaw met his eyes and he shrugged. They both laughed.

"Hey, Nightpaw! Time to go out again!" called Stormheart. Nightpaw looked at Icepaw, flicked her ear in an apology, and bounded to her mentor.


	9. Part 2: Chapter 2

Nightpaw woke up and padded out into the clearing with her sister. She immediately saw Stormheart and Dovewing eating together, and she bounded over to join them. Soon Splashpaw emerged from the apprentice den and sleepily padded over to join them.

"Splashpaw, come and eat with me!" yowled Foxpaw, his revolting stench drifting over to Nightpaw's nose.

Splashpaw pricked her ears, and to Nightpaw's surprise and disgust, she snatched up her vole and bounded over to Foxpaw. Nightpaw wrinkled her nose in loathing. She joined Icepaw and had an enjoyable time hissing playful insults at Foxpaw and Splashpaw.

"I can't believe you ate with that arrogant piece of fox dung!" she exclaimed as they leapt down the cascade of rocks to the training hollow. Splashpaw flattened her ears in embarrassment. "He's actually kind of nice."

"No, he's not," sighed Nightpaw. "He's a mouse-brain. Don't listen to him!"

Nightpaw went on hunting patrol the next day. Soon after they left, Flamepaw caught a mouse.

"Good, Flamepaw," Lionblaze praised him. "Let's see what you can do, Nightpaw."

He gestured towards the ShadowClan border. "There's always prey near the old Twoleg den."

He was right. As soon as they got there, Nightpaw smelled a squirrel. The next moment, she saw it, perched on a tree root.

"Be careful," Lionblaze breathed. "Place your paws down lightly."

Nightpaw set a paw carefully on the ground, then another. She crept forward, keeping her eyes on her prey.

Suddenly, a crackle split the air. The squirrel dashed for cover. Nightpaw leapt forward and trapped the squirrel under her paws, biting its neck quickly.

"Great StarClan, Nightpaw!" Lionblaze cried. "That was the fastest I've ever seen a cat move in my life!"

Nightpaw picked up the squirrel in her jaws. "My first catch!" she meowed proudly, and the cats trekked back to camp.

"Wake up, Nightpaw!" yowled Sunsplash, shaking her shoulder. Nightpaw yawned and blinked at her father.

"You've been an apprentice for three moons, Nightpaw! You know when to wake up!"

"We're going on the border patrol," explained Flamepaw, following Lionheart down the cascade.

"May we hunt?" Nightpaw pleaded, looking desperately at her father. He shook his head. "This is a border patrol. We can catch a mouse if we see one, but we'll probably mostly mark borders."

"Please?" begged Nightpaw.

"No!" he snapped back, his tail flicking, irritated.

"Fine," she fired back, wondering what made him so grumpy. "Don't act so nice, will you?"

Sunsplash's tail swished back and forth, despite the hiss of exasperation from Berrynose. "Why can't you be more respectful?"

"I will when you earn it!"

Sunsplash spun around, hissing. "If you want to hunt, go and do it yourself!" When Nightpaw didn't move, he cuffed her ears. "Well? Go!"

Nightpaw spun around and plunged into the bushes. She raced on until she saw a mouse.

_I'll show him. _Nightpaw crouched as she had seen the older apprentices do outside their den and quietly crept up on the mouse. She had almost reached it when a crackle snapped the air and she smelled a disgusting scent. She blinked as a white, deformed paw stepped into view.

Slowly, Nightpaw looked up into the crazed brown eyes of a large, skinny fox.

For a moment, the two just stood there, looking at each other.

"Great StarClan!" yowled Nightpaw, and the fox shook its thin head and sprang.

Nightpaw ducked and ran her unsheathed claws over the fox's pelt. It yipped in pain and slashed a paw full of blunt claws at her face. Nightpaw screamed in pain as the claws slashed across her eye, and she crouched, momentarily stunned.

She slashed out at the fox and drove it back into the brambles. _I'm going to win!_

She wailed in shock as a second fox stepped out of the bushes, much larger than the first one. It snarled, and the other fox ran off.

Closing her cut eye, Nightpaw slashed out at the new fox, grabbing its scruff in her teeth and gripping onto its back with all of her claws. The fox bit the paw nearest to its head and flung her off. Nightpaw flew through the air and cracked her head sharply on a stone. She gasped for breath as the fox came over to sniff her. Nightpaw lashed out with her back legs, scoring a cut in its white belly. The fox growled. Nightpaw leapt to her paws, still dizzy and disoriented from hitting her head, and dove in to bite the fox's ear, but before she got there the fox scored its claws across her face and bit her ear hard, throwing her back against the rock. Nightpaw's head was splitting with pain as the fox raked her face with its claws over and over again…

Nightpaw's last thought before sinking into blackness was of Icepaw.


	10. Part 2: Chapter 3

Splashpaw went on hunting patrol with Icepaw and their mentors. Splashpaw had discovered yesterday that she was a natural at hunting, and she was eager to show off her skills to her friends.

She immediately spotted a mouse and began stalking it, creeping up on it with light feet. She didn't notice the body in the shadows until she put her paw in a pool of blood.

"Ugh!" she groaned, and, pulling it out, began to lick it. "Some mouse-brained cat forgot to bring back their prey!"

Suddenly a familiar smell washed over her.

"Nightpaw!" she yowled, seeing the black pelt of her sister. For a moment, she stood, staring at her sister with a shocked expression on her face. Splashpaw shook her head, cursing herself. _How could I not have known?_ She dragged the body into the clearing, where Icepaw and the others were waiting for her.

Icepaw saw Nightpaw immediately. "No!" he wailed. "Not her!" He crouched next to her and began licking the side of her face that showed, the side with a long, bloody scar that stretched from her ear to her tail.

"Icepaw," meowed Dovewing, obviously trying to remain calm. Icepaw looked up with wild eyes. "I won't leave her!"

Dovewing sighed in pain and sympathy. She placed her tail around his shoulders and tore him away, reassuring him.

Splashpaw fastened her teeth in her sister's scruff, numb with disbelief. It couldn't be happening! She gasped in shock as Nightpaw lolled her head and the worst part of the injury was revealed.

Nightpaw's entire right ear was ripped away. Claw marks scored her face, and the eye socket, though closed tightly, wept tears of blood. Icepaw's mentor, Berrynose, gasped in shock at the terrible sight.

They gently carried Splashpaw's sister back to the cascade, and Berrynose raced in to get Jayfeather.

Jayfeather's eyes were wide as he padded out of the camp with marigold in his jaws. He slowly began sniffing Nightpaw's unmoving body. "Not dead, but unconscious. She's barely breathing," he said solemnly. He began to sniff her again. He stopped at one place, sniffing over and over again. "Fox," he declared. "She was attacked by a fox."

Splashpaw paced around the clearing. Nightpaw's last spoken wish was for her to stay away from Foxpaw, and she would respect that.

As if her thoughts had drawn him over, Foxpaw appeared next to her. At first he looked uncomfortable as Splashpaw turned away and refused to look at him.

"Sorry about your sister," he murmured. "I know that she doesn't like me. I acted a bit like a mousebrain."

Splashpaw didn't answer. Her heart was breaking.

"She'll live. I know it."

Splashpaw shook her head.

"Please answer me, Splashpaw! Don't let her tell you who to love."

Splashpaw slowly turned and looked into his warm brown eyes. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him, too. She turned away again. She bent her head, away from Foxpaw.

"I wish that it was easier," she wailed. Foxpaw pressed against her. "I know, Splashpaw. I know."

Jayfeather groaned in exasperation. Kestrelflight's new apprentice, Cedarpaw, was chattering nonstop. He rolled his eyes as her noisy twittering went on. He couldn't think!

"Would somebody shut her up? I can't hear a thing!" he muttered to Mothwing. Suddenly, his paws landed in water. Cedarpaw's chatting had distracted him from where he was going, and he had stepped in the Moonpool.

"Ugh!" he cried, swiftly licking the water off of his paw.

"Time to drink from the pool," Mothwing meowed. Jayfeather crouched down next to the others and lapped up a mouthful of water. Immediately everything burst into color. He looked around himself. He was in the hollow where they held Gatherings.

Jayfeather meowed in shock as a cat appeared out of the shadows.

"Longtail?"

Jayfeather cried out in joy as the tabby warrior greeted him. "Hello, Jayfeather. I have a prophecy to make."

"A prophecy?"

Jayfeather's eyes widened as the tabby spoke. "Three to save the three, two to become one." Longtail gave Jayfeather a swift lick behind the ear and faded.

"Wait!" he cried. "What do you mean?"

But Longtail was gone, and Jayfeather woke in darkness again.

Nightpaw faded in and out of consciousness for several days. The first time she fully woke up, the only cat near her was Jayfeather. Her body felt numb and stiff, which the medicine cat expected. He asked her a few questions about the fox attack, which she answered easily, and then he let her rest. She collapsed, exhausted.

She woke up several times in the next few days to a variety of visitors. Foxpaw and Splashpaw stood near her and conversed cheerily with her. Sunsplash stood a fair distance away and muttered a few words she couldn't hear. Silverpool berated Nightpaw for putting herself in such danger and wept that she couldn't have protected her kit. Icepaw's tail whisked out of the den just as she woke up, and her throat was too dry to call out to him.

Nightpaw became slowly aware of her body again. One day she woke up and felt strong enough to stand. She sniffed the air. She could smell Jayfeather, Flamepaw, and Splashpaw. They seemed to be talking.

Nightpaw blinked her eyes. She could see her siblings and her medicine cat, arguing about something. They hadn't noticed her yet.

She felt a little bit wobbly, but managed to push herself up onto her paws. She padded over to the pool and drank thirstily. Then Nightpaw stretched, blinked, and gasped.

Her reflection showed her, but horrifically altered. Her ear was almost completely torn off. One of her eyes had scars over it, and more scars ripped down her neck and to her shoulder. On her flank, bare skin stretched from her other eye to the base of her tail. One of her paws had no fur on it. Her full ear had nicks and scratches in it. She winked one eye and realized that she could only see out of one of them.

"No! It's not me! It can't be me!"

She swished her tail in panic, and her breathing rasped in her throat. What was she?

Flamepaw's voice grew louder and louder. She spun around as she heard a cry of shock. "Nightpaw!"

She was immediately pounced on and licked by her worried brother. "Nightpaw! You're out! You're okay! I'm so glad that you're up. Wait until I tell Icepaw!"

Nightpaw was immediately worried. Would Icepaw want to see her?

"Don't!" she wailed. "I'm not Nightpaw anymore. I'm horrible!" She lashed her tail in anguish.

Flamepaw's eyes widened. "You're not horrible! You're beautiful, Nightpaw! If Icepaw finds out that I didn't fetch you when you came out, he'll- he'll-"

Flamepaw bounded out, lost for words, and came back a moment later with Icepaw. His eyes were shining with relief. "Nightpaw!"

"Icepaw!" Nightpaw was overcome with joy to see him.

He pressed himself into her. "You're still beautiful," he murmured into her ear. Nightpaw purred. He still thought that she was pretty. Nightpaw pressed her muzzle into his pelt. Icepaw gazed tenderly down at her and whispered, "You're still going to be a warrior. I know it. I can train you to fight and hunt like Lionblaze! You're just like Brightheart. She learned to fight, and you can too!"

Nightpaw purred harder. She bounded out to the fresh-kill pile and grabbed a squirrel. "Come eat, Icepaw," she meowed. Icepaw shared the squirrel with her, their tails twining together.

Splashpaw padded over with Foxpaw, their pelts brushing. Nightpaw drew back and hissed, and Foxpaw stopped, flattening his ears. He didn't smell nearly as bad as Nightpaw remembered.

"Sorry about your injuries," he muttered, and his voice was becoming less squeaky and more mature. Nightpaw looked at Splashpaw, impressed. Splashpaw glared back as Foxpaw went to fetch her a vole from the fresh-kill pile.

"See? He's not all that bad," she hissed. Nightpaw nodded in agreement. "When he's with you, it's almost like he's a cat and not a smelly, cheating fox," she whispered back.

"He is a cat!" muttered Splashpaw indignantly. "At least, now he is."

Nightpaw purred in agreement, and the two sisters pressed against each other for a moment.

"You were sleeping for three days!" Splashpaw wailed suddenly. "I thought that you would die and I would be left alone with old Flamepaw. Why did Sunsplash have to get all mad at you?"

"Why is Sunsplash so grumpy?" asked Nightpaw.

Splashpaw's eyes widened, and she shook her head. "Don't ask that out here. He'll get so mad at you!"

"Why? What happened?"

Splashpaw looked around nervously. "Every cat knows that Silverpool and Sunsplash are fighting," she muttered at last. "A fight actually broke out a couple days ago. They were accusing each other of breaking the warrior code!"

"Why?" gasped Nightpaw, and Icepaw uncomfortably shifted his paws.

"I'll just go and- um, use Dirtplace now," he mumbled, and raced off. Nightpaw gazed after him. "Splashpaw, what happened?"

"Well, first it was just a border dispute with ShadowClan. There were five ShadowClan warriors and only four of us, and Silverpool had a giant thorn in her pad, so she couldn't fight. But when Jayfeather looked at her pad, there wasn't any thorn or cut, so Sunsplash got really angry. We actually had to move the border over because ShadowClan defeated us. It was right before the accident, and Firestar would have told everyone, but then you got hurt, and he had to wait until everyone stopped worrying. Sunsplash blamed Silverpool for losing that chunk of territory. They moved their nests. Silverpool won't speak to him.

"Then there was a bout of greencough in ShadowClan, and Nightfoot came over asking for herbs. But we had- well, you, so we couldn't. Silverpool got really awkward and really wanted to give him herbs. Sunsplash seemed really angry after that. You know how he was grumpy before. Well, now, he's furious. He probably won't even notice that you're awake."

Nightpaw was shocked. Her father was usually a gentle, good-natured cat. Why was he being like this?

"He also said…" Splashpaw hesitated. "He also called her a rogue, and he said that we weren't his kits."

Nightpaw's eyes widened, and her tail lashed back and forth. She leapt to her paws, but Bluekit, one of Snowclaw and Dawnfall's six moon old kits, trotted over at that moment. She pressed herself up against Nightpaw. "Hi, Nightpaw. You were so brave, attacking that fox! I can't believe that you're still alive! You must be really strong."

Nightpaw gave Bluekit a swift lick on her head, trying to calm the anger in her heart. "Thanks, Bluekit. You should be a medicine cat. You can heal cats with words as well as herbs!"

Bluekit purred. "I was actually going to ask Jayfeather that. I'm not sure if he can have two apprentices, but our Clan needs all the paws it can get."

"Really? You'll make a great medicine cat, Bluekit. ThunderClan will be lucky to have you."

Bluekit purred and picked up a starling to share with her six siblings.

Nightpaw turned to Splashpaw. "What? He did that? How could he? Does he have no shame?"

"It was in the heat of the moment," Splashpaw said, looking at her paws. "But that's why he is so mad."

Nightpaw leapt to her feet, ignoring Splashpaw's meow of protest, and strode over to her father.

"What's all this fox dung?" she demanded. Sunsplash looked up.

"I don't see any fox dung. All I see is an apprentice, hideously scarred to the point of being a monster, whose mother is a traitor!"

Nightpaw's eyes widened in hurt, surprise, and shock.

"I'm not the one who's a monster!" she hissed, and her tail fluffed out to its full extent. "I'm not the one who's horrifically altered!"

"No, you're not." He growled. "Silverpool is!"

"How could you do that to my mother!" she yowled. Wind whipped through the clearing and lifted her fur, and the sun glowed on it and made it burn like fire. She bared her teeth. "I thought that you loved her!"

"I did!" hissed Sunsplash. "She lied to me, she lied to all of us! I am disgraced to call her my mate!"

Shock iced Nightpaw's fur. "You think that about her? Well, I'm her kit! And you are not my father!" she screamed over the icy gale that blew leaves around them. Every cat was staring at them. Nightpaw's single ear was flattened, and her eyes gleamed with loathing. "A real father supports his daughter! I almost died! You are no father to me!"

"You wouldn't have been injured if it hadn't been for your arrogance and stupidity!" Sunsplash snarled, and he lashed out at her with unsheathed claws.

Nightpaw screeched in rage and zipped around to scratch her father's flanks. He hissed.

"That was clumsy, Nightpaw. Try doing it like this!" He whipped around and scratched Nightpaw down her freshly healed scar.

Nightpaw was driven past control. She didn't know how her claws whipped around Sunsplash's body so fast, or how her teeth clamped on his ear before he could blink. All that she knew was that before she could even begin to check herself, she was standing on top of the warrior who used to be her father, her paws covered in blood, and Sunsplash was covered in scratches and scars.

Firestar appeared next to them. "What's going on? Fighting among ourselves only makes our Clan weaker."

Nightpaw leapt off of Sunsplash and turned to her leader. "Tell this traitor to leave the Clan!" she yowled.

Firestar's face remained impassive, but one ear twitched. "Why do you ask that? Sunsplash is a loyal ThunderClan warrior."

"He thinks that my mother is a liar. He thinks that she betrayed us! Make him leave! Make him go! He's not my father, and he never was!"

"Nightpaw, it was inappropriate to attack a Clanmate. Sunsplash, you are obviously making Nightpaw very distressed. Please leave her alone."

Though Firestar's tone was calm, something in his eyes made Sunsplash look away, but not before curling his lip weakly at Nightpaw. Nightpaw hissed back at him and reluctantly sheathed her claws. Firestar sniffed at Nightpaw's scar, which was swelling with blood.

"You'd better go ask Jayfeather to put something on that," he meowed. Nightpaw nodded and dashed off towards the medicine den, leaving Firestar looking worriedly after her and Sunsplash lying on the ground.

"So you said that your own father attacked you?" Jayfeather said.

"He's not my father!" Nightpaw reminded him angrily, licking so fiercely at her wound that it started to sting. "He may share my blood, but he can only be my true father in my mind!"

"Yes, yes, calm down, Nightpaw. You're making the wound bleed." Jayfeather gently pressed cobwebs against Nightpaw's flank, and the blood flow slowed.

Nightpaw blinked, and immediately the rage was gone from her face. The red faded from her vision and she flinched.

Immediately she rushed to the entrance and peered out. Sunsplash was gingerly licking his wounds, spitting the blood onto the ground. Fear engulfed Nightpaw. Had she done that? How had she inflicted such serious wounds on an experienced warrior?

She bounded out of the medicine den, forgetting in her terror about their fight.

"I'm sorry, Sunsplash!"

The warrior eyed her coldly. "For what? For being the daughter of a traitor?"

"I'm sorry I hurt you!"

"I'm not as scarred as you are!"

Anger rekindled in Nightpaw. "I'm sorry that you, a seasoned warrior, was beaten by an apprentice who can't even see out of one eye!"

She spun around and marched away, brushing Frostpaw out of her way.

Jayfeather was waiting by the herb store. "You need to learn to control your temper," he meowed. "Now I have to redress your wounds."

Nightpaw hissed in exasperation. "Blame Sunsplash."

Jayfeather looked troubled, but he turned away. "Please go. I have to talk to Lionblaze."

"All right, all right," she meowed. She trudged out the entrance and stomped to her nest, where she fell asleep immediately.

**A.N.- I kep forgetting to post a chapter! Sorry guys!**


	11. Part 2: Chapter 4

Jayfeather listened to the fading of Nightpaw's pawsteps, and then he bounded over to the warriors den.

"Lionblaze!"

"Huh?" Lionblaze was passed out after a long day of patrolling.

"Wake up," he hissed, and when Lionblaze didn't respond, he bit him on the scruff.

"Ouch!" Lionblaze shot to his paws. He looked around wildly until his eyes fell on Jayfeather.

"What was that for?" he protested. Jayfeather laid his tail across Lionblaze's mouth. "Shut up!"

Lionblaze looked down at the sleeping cats. "Oops."

Jayfeather groaned. "Come with me!" he demanded in a fierce whisper. "I have to tell you something!"

"What?" Lionblaze groaned as he and Jayfeather squeezed behind the spot that had been their old hiding place behind the nursery. It had become much bigger when the camp was rebuilt after the tree fell.

"This had better be good," grumbled Lionblaze, licking at a rough spot on his fur. "I was having a really good dream about-" He stopped, staring into the trees.

"What?" Jayfeather asked.

"Nothing." Lionblaze bent his head and licked his chest in embarrassment. "It was nothing."

"Fine." Whatever problems Lionblaze might have, Jayfeather wasn't going to pry into his dreams- yet. He changed the subject to a more important matter.

"I think that I've found them."

"Really?" Lionblaze's ears pricked, and his eyes widened. Jayfeather had informed him about the dream as soon as he had come back from the Moonpool. He rather thought that they needed help, he thought. They hadn't achieved very much yet.

"I think that they're Silverpool kits."

"You mean Flamepaw? And Splashpaw and Nightpaw?"

"Yes. You should've seen Nightpaw attack Sunsplash. She's so fast, she's a blur. At least, when she's fighting, she is. I couldn't hear or smell her either. She became… invisible."

"That's cool. What about the others?"

"Lionblaze, you mousebrain! It's more than cool! She one of us! As for the others, I have no idea. Splashpaw does seem to be inflicting a big change in Foxpaw, though. He fed the elders without complaining yesterday."

Lionblaze stopped licking his paw. "What?"

"I know! She's really changed him. I'm worried about Flamepaw, though. He's really quiet, and it doesn't look like he's got any powers. Willowpaw… well, she's so shy, I barely see her. She's always out on patrol."

"I hope he's not like-"

Lionblaze stopped again, looking at his paws as though ashamed. Jayfeather didn't ask what he was thinking this time. He was remembering their sister, Hollyleaf, who had been crushed by both falling rock and despair for the shattered warrior code.

That night, Firestar told her quietly that she wouldn't be going to this Gathering.

"You need to rest," he informed her. "Orders from your leader. Now go and sleep in your nest."

"I'll tell you everything," promised Icepaw, and they bounded off into the trees.

Nightpaw awoke to see Splashpaw and Foxpaw talking. Disgust filled her throat like bile, and she had to choke it down. No matter how much Foxpaw had changed, she still felt sick when she saw him with her sister.

"I'm worried about my siblings," Splashpaw muttered to the red apprentice. "Flamepaw is so shy, he's barely made any friends. And Nightpaw almost killed Sunsplash yesterday! She's got such a hot temper-"

"I do not!" Nightpaw leapt to her paws. "You just feel bad for that piece of foxdung!"

"No, Nightpaw," Foxpaw said. "She hates him, too. I've heard her rant about him. She thinks that he deserves to be thrown out of ThunderClan."

Nightpaw blinked slowly, taking in the fact that Foxpaw had defended her sister from her own actions. She hung her head. "Sorry, Splashpaw," she mumbled.

"It's okay," Splashpaw replied, batting her sister's remaining ear gently. "We're all under so much pressure right now, what with Sunsplash and Silverpool and- you know…"

She stopped, shifting on her paws uncomfortably, and Nightpaw twitched her ear nervously.

"Nightpaw? Are you feeling up to training?"

Nightpaw leapt to her paws. "Finally! Yes!" She bounded outside to her mentor. "Can we go to the hollow? I want to learn fighting moves!"

Stormheart purred. "Not today. We're going on a hunting patrol."

Nightpaw shuffled her paws. "Okay. Let's go!" She hadn't been out of camp for several moons and felt restless and eager to go.

She and Stormheart hunted for what seemed like a day before she finally spotted a rabbit. She glanced over at her mentor, who flicked his ear to tell her that it was hers. She immediately dropped into the hunting crouch. The squirrel began to eat something that it had picked up off of the ground. She slid forward and leaped. But at that moment, she brushed against some ferns that she hadn't seen through her blind eye, and the squirrel dashed away. Nightpaw hissed in exasperation and leapt after it, blundering through the undergrowth.

"Nightpaw!" called her mentor. "You'll scare away all the prey in the forest with that noise!"

Nightpaw checked herself and tried to run more silently. The squirrel dashed for a tree, but before Nightpaw could jump on it, something collided with her. A blinding pain seared her head and she stumbled back, gasping. Dazed, she blinked and recognized Petalpaw, an apprentice from ShadowClan. The apprentice was glaring at her. "Mousebrain! I would've had that squirrel if you hadn't crossed the border!"

"This is ThunderClan territory!" hissed Nightpaw. Petalpaw snarled. "Not anymore, it's not. ShadowClan needs more territory, and ThunderClan is too weak to defend it."

"Petalpaw!" yowled another ShadowClan cat. "Stop talking to whoever's over there and get over here!"

Four large ShadowClan warriors appeared out of the bushes. "What's this?" sneered one. "It's a ThunderClan kit! My, kit, you need to grow some fur!"

Nightpaw hissed as the other cats jeered.

"What's going on?" asked her mentor as he slid out of the shadows. The rest of the patrol appeared behind him, silent and tense. Stormheart dipped his head to the largest, ShadowClan's deputy. Flamepaw stepped in front of Nightpaw, showing no trace of shyness. Nightpaw was impressed, even through her anger, that he was being so brave. Even so, she hissed in his ear, "You don't need to take care of me!"

"Darkwhisker. What are you doing on our territory? Do you need to talk to Firestar?" Stormheart's ears went back as Darkwhisker ran a claw over Flamepaw's flank.

"Do _you_ need to learn what a border marker is?" hissed the ShadowClan deputy, pinning Flamepaw down. "This is our side of the border, Stormheart. Get off our territory unless you want this apprentice's fur clawed off."

"This isn't your territory, Darkwhisker," the gray warrior replied coolly. "It's ours, and we'll fight for it."

"Then I will inform Blackstar that you wish to fight. Tell your kittypet leader that he wants us to meet here at sunhigh."

The ShadowClan patrol vanished into the bushes. Stormheart stared gravely at the group of cats. "Let's get back so that we can tell Firestar," he meowed, and leapt through the undergrowth back to the camp.

"You say that they marked a new border? It was ten tail-lengths over the agreed one?" Firestar growled. "I hate to send my warriors into battle, but I'm sure that they'll agree that it's something worth fighting for."

He padded out of his den with Stormheart and the rest of the patrol trailing after him. Leaping up onto the Highledge, Firestar called to the Clan. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting."

"What's going on?" Splashpaw yawned, padding out of the den with Foxpaw. Nightpaw narrowed her eyes. "Trouble with ShadowClan."

"Our dawn patrol encountered some ShadowClan cats," Firestar growled. "Stormheart says that they marked a new border several fox-lengths inside of our old one. Stormheart, please tell the Clan what these mouse-brained cats deluded themselves that they could do."

As the cats all listened to Stormheart give the report, Nightpaw watched dissent spread through her Clan like a disease. Foxpaw's tail was lashing back and forth, and he was muttering under his breath. Flamepaw was licking at the scratch that Darkwhisker had given him, claws unsheathed and ripping at the ground. Willowpaw's eyes were round and frightened, but her claws were unsheathed. The queens milled around at the edge of the clearing, each gathered around Dawnfall's kits. Whitekit, one of Dawnfall's kits, was puffing out his chest. "Let me fight them!" he meowed to his mother. "I'll tear them limb from limb!"

Redkit, his brother, pounced on him. "You can't get me!" he squeaked. "I'm Blackstar, the leader of ShadowClan. I have nine lives! Die, Whitekit, die!" He pummeled at his brother with tiny paws. Dawnfall leaned down and lifted him by the scruff. "Hush," she scolded. "Stormheart is trying to give a report."

"Humph!" Redkit said.

_Even the kits are preparing for battle!_ Nightpaw thought.

"The cats who will fight are Cloudtail, Lionblaze, Dovewing, Brightheart, Sunsplash, Mousepelt, Silverpool, Coldgaze, Stormheart, Foxpaw, Willowpaw, Flamepaw, Icepaw, Cherrypaw, Nightpaw, Frostpaw, and, of course, myself," Firestar meowed. "The named cats will join me in the hollow for some extra battle training. The rest of you, get some rest. Thrushwing, come with us so that you can treat badly hurt cats. Jayfeather, stock up on herbs. Cats are going to be injured. "

Nightpaw gathered in the training hollow with the other apprentices. Coldgaze, Stormheart, and Cloudtail were near them, talking amongst themselves. Finally the three toms seemed to reach an agreement and Stormheart walked over to the seven apprentices. "Okay, we're three ShadowClan warriors and you're trapped in bramble bushes. What are you going to do…"

The extra battle training went by in a flash. Nightpaw felt clumsy and uncoordinated as she tumbled through fights. Finally Firestar assigned them jobs.

"We can meet at the new border. Most of us will hide in the trees. I will be there with Stormheart and Cloudtail and try to convince Blackstar to back down without a fight."

"He won't listen," yowled Foxpaw.

"Of course he won't. That's why you'll be waiting in the trees. As soon as he tries to attack, Dovewing, Brightheart, Mousepelt, Silverpool, Coldgaze, Flamepaw, Icepaw, and Cherrypaw will jump down. After the ShadowClan warriors get over that surprise, I'll yowl and the rest of you will come down. Nightpaw and Flamepaw, if you two are too frightened to fight, your job will be to take injured cats to Thrushwing. Is that clear?"

The cats dipped their heads. Nightpaw glanced at Flamepaw. He didn't look too scared to fight. If anything, he looked as though he would rip off a ShadowClan pelt for a couple of mousetails.

Before she could blink, Splashpaw was saying goodbye to her denmates and siblings, and Nightpaw and the rest were leaping through the trees. After a while, they slowed down and moved silently, stealthily so that the ShadowClan cats wouldn't hear them. Firestar and Stormheart approached the entire Clan of cats that silently waited for them, Cloudtail trailing behind.

"Do you expect to fight with three warriors?" jeered Blackstar.

"I have come to ask you to retreat in peace," Firestar replied, and Nightpaw could see that he was forcing his fur to lay flat. "There is no need to fight. Remember what happened last time? Two lives were lost for nothing."

"This time, if lives are lost, there will be a reason!" hissed Blackstar. Willowpaw flinched away from the leader's sharp words, her silver-green eyes wide. Nightpaw's paws ached to warn her leader as Blackstar's tail twitched slowly three times. Instantly ShadowClan was on top of the leader and his small patrol.

Firestar's yowl of fake shock and anger was disguised well. The ShadowClan cats didn't even get to look up before ThunderClan landed on top of them. The other Clan recovered quickly, though. Nightpaw watched in horror as Cloudtail was tossed, bleeding, off of Darkwhisker's shoulders. Furious yowls rang out as fur flew everywhere. Nightpaw closed her eyes and prepared to leap as the second yowl rang out.

When she opened her eyes, she was still standing on the bough. Fear pulsed through her in an icy wave as she saw ShadowClan's warriors rip through her friends as though they were fresh-kill. She gasped as she saw Frostpaw's ear shredded by a warrior much bigger than him. The warrior raked his claws down Frostpaw's face. Suddenly, Lionblaze, battling fiercely with another cat, crashed into the ShadowClan warrior, who fell on top of Frostpaw's hind legs, crushing them. Frostpaw screeched in pain. Nightpaw wailed out loud, pain coursing through her in his behalf. She leapt down and crouched next to the blue-white apprentice, forgetting in an instant her former wariness of him. "Don't worry, Frostpaw," she whispered as she dragged him into the bushes. Thrushwing was waiting there with tangy herbs and sweet berries to soothe scratches and stop bleeding. She instantly spread a chervil poultice on his scratches and gave him a juniper berry to calm his wailing. "Thanks," he managed to pant to Nightpaw.

Nightpaw dashed out and saw Icepaw, fiercely fighting a warrior twice his size. His eyes widened as he looked over at Nightpaw and the warrior scratched his flank.

Nightpaw dashed in as the ShadowClan cat leapt on top of Icepaw and began raking his claws down his back. Nightpaw bit hard on the cat's ear and he reeled back in shock.

Icepaw leapt on the warrior, pinning him down and biting down hard on the paw closest to him. The two apprentices' training flooded back to him, and slowly they drove him back, swiping at his flanks and paws and drawing blood. Yowling, the warrior fled.

"Thanks!" Icepaw meowed, but Nightpaw dashed off as she heard a yowl. She skidded to a halt, watching in horror as her sister fought off a dark brown warrior. She gasped as Tigerheart ripped into Willowpaw's flank, tearing the life out of the apprentice.

"Willowpaw! No!" screeched Nightpaw. Tigerheart looked at the gaping cut in Willowpaw's side and backed away, ears back as he realized what he had done.

"No!" gasped Nightpaw, but her sister flattened her ears as she tried to drag the apprentice to Thrushwing. "Don't," she begged. "It'll only open the wound more."

"No, Willowpaw! I'll get you some herbs and water and you'll be as good as new."

"Thrushwing," gasped Willowpaw. Nightpaw turned to see the medicine cat apprentice bounding towards them, carrying a bundle of herbs in her jaws. She immediately set to work bandaging the awful cut.

Nightpaw whisked around and pinned Tigerheart to the ground. The tabby cat struggled and spat in her face.

"It's against the warrior code to kill!"

He hissed at her scornfully. She dug her claws into his ear and ripped, hard. The tabby yowled as blood sprayed Nightpaw's paw.

Suddenly the most excruciating yowl flattened Nightpaw's ears.

"Silverpool!" she cried, and Flamepaw bounded after her. "What's wrong with our mother?"

Blackstar himself was attacking her mother. Nightpaw crouched to help her, but suddenly a streak of yellow knocked Blackstar over. Nightpaw recognized Sunsplash, knocking Blackstar aside. Stormheart, who was bleeding heavily from his front paw, immediately pounced on the ShadowClan leader.

Nightpaw turned back to the battle and watched as Silverpool crouched to pounce on Rainpelt, another ShadowClan warrior. A yowl of warning and shock froze in Nightpaw's throat as Sunsplash crept up behind her mother and leapt.

"Sunsplash!" cried Silverpool. "What are you doing?"

"Cutting a weakness to the Clan," snarled the orange warrior. Silverpool pushed at him with weak silver paws, but Sunsplash merely snarled. "Weaknesses come from traitors, and traitors come from warriors who love the wrong cats. You are a weakness, and you must be removed!" Sunsplash raised his paw, claws unsheathed.

Flamepaw and Nightpaw attacked at the same time. Nightpaw pinned her father down while her brother shoved Silverpool aside. Nightpaw and Sunsplash briefly fought, but Sunsplash's paws were surprisingly slow, and Nightpaw soon held him down with one claw at his throat, just like the day she had wrestled Stormheart.

"Why, Sunsplash?" Nightpaw gasped. "Why did you try to kill her? She's your mate. I'm your kit!"

"She is not my mate!" snarled Sunsplash. "I am not your father! Your father is a traitor, and so is your mother!"

"You are not my father," whispered Nightpaw. She slid aside, unresisting, as Sunsplash pushed her off of him and strode away.

"You are not- you are not MY FATHER!" she screamed after him. Silverpool stared after him, hissing halfheartedly. Flamepaw's tail swished back and forth. Firestar's last warning screech as ShadowClan cats fled sliced through the air. Nightpaw stared, unseeing, at the ground.

Icepaw approached and hissed in surprise at the blood-covered Silverpool and the tufts of gray hair littering the ground. "What happened?"

Silverpool pushed herself up on weary paws. "Go tell Firestar that Sunsplash does not belong in ThunderClan."

Icepaw's ears flattened. "He what?"

"Just go and tell him, please," Nightpaw begged. Icepaw looked at her with an expression in his eyes that betrayed shock and sorrow. "All right, Nightpaw." He bounded off.

Frostpaw dragged himself up behind her, Thrushwing worriedly trailing after him. "What just happened with your father?" he whispered. Nightpaw bared her teeth. "He's no father of mine, Frostpaw."

"But-" The blue-white apprentice broke off, wincing as Thrushwing gently began wrapping his legs in cobwebs.

"It's okay, Frostpaw. You can go now. I just need to be alone."

"But-"

"Come on, mousebrain!" Thrushwing snapped. "Do you think that I can fix your legs with you lugging yourself all over like that?"

Frostpaw dragged himself reluctantly off. Nightpaw watched him go. "I hope that Thrushwing and Jayfeather fix him up," her mother sighed. "He's a nice apprentice, once you get to know him."

"I guess so," Nightpaw replied.

"Cats of ThunderClan!" Firestar yowled gravely. "Gather here beneath the Highledge so that you can hear what I have to tell you!"

"Great!" Silverpaw growled. "Now we'll have to wait until he's done reporting until you can tell me everything."

"My Clan," Firestar began. "I am so proud of you. The fresh-kill pile is heaping, herbs grow in clumps bigger than our biggest kit, Redkit-"

"Hey!" interrupted Redkit.

"-and we haven't lost a single cat in seasons. But now, I must announce a good ThunderClan cat's departure."

Gasps and murmurs spread through the Clan. Splashpaw looked stricken. "They're terrified! Who died, Nightpaw? Who-" She broke off, searching the crowd. "Wait- where's Sunsplash?"

Her high-pitched mew rang through the Clan. Mutters broke out.

"Today, Sunsplash proved to us that he is every bit worthy of the Dark Forest," Firestar hissed. "During the fight, he jumped on Silverpool and would have killed her if Nightpaw and Flamepaw hadn't stopped him. He is no longer a ThunderClan cat. If you see him in our territory, drive him out as you would any rogue."

Firestar's speech left cats shocked and speechless, too dumbstruck to even gossip. Splashpaw sank onto her belly.

"On a happier note, I would like to make three new warriors today. Icepaw, Foxpaw, and Frostpaw, please come up."

"Icepaw!" Nightpaw whispered in delight. She glanced at Splashpaw, who was nuzzling Foxpaw happily. "Go up there," she murmured to the reddish apprentice. "You deserve it."

"I, Firestar, call upon StarClan to look down on these apprentices. They have worked hard to understand your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Icepaw, Foxpaw, Frostpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do!" called Frostpaw.

"Yes, I do," whispered Icepaw.

"Foxpaw?" Firestar gazed down at Foxpaw, curiosity in his eyes. Foxpaw was standing at the edge of the clearing, mouth open. Splashpaw nudged him and he stumbled forwards.

"I DO!" yowled Foxpaw.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names. Icepaw, from this moment, your name will be Icewhisker. StarClan honors your calmness and sense of duty. We welcome you as a full warrior of the Clan."

"Icewhisker! Icewhisker!" yowled Nightpaw.

"Frostpaw, from this moment on your name will be Frostclaw. StarClan honors your bravery and fighting skill, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Frostclaw limped up to Firestar. His wounds were healing slowly, but the bone in one of his hind legs would never be the same.

Firestar rested his muzzle on the heads of the two warriors, and then turned to the third. Foxpaw, from this moment on, your name will be Foxwhisker. StarClan honors your compassion and your willingness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of the Clan."

"Frostclaw! Foxwhisker! Icewhisker! Frostclaw! Foxwhisker!" Nightpaw yowled along with the rest of her Clan. Splashpaw raced up to Foxwhisker and began to wash his shoulders, which were dusty.

"Mrrp- get off- ack!" Foxwhisker mumbled. "You're like an old she-cat, Splashpaw."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous," purred Splashpaw. Foxwhisker pushed her playfully away. "Last one to catch a squirrel is fresh-kill!" The two cats raced off together.

"They're like two kits," Flamepaw muttered. Nightpaw snickered and Flamepaw went off to join a border patrol.

Frostclaw limped up. "Hey, Nightpaw."

"Hi," Nightpaw said warily. Frostclaw blinked slowly.

"Foxpaw- oops, Foxwhisker doesn't seem to care about your injuries," Nightpaw said.

"I'm kind of troubled about my brother. He's not at all the same type of cat I am. It's like he's not related to me!"

Nightpaw blinked, confused at this sudden burden of information. "You mean Foxpaw- I mean, Foxwhisker?"

"Yeah! I mean, obviously his pelt color, but he also likes completely different things, has completely different feelings about everything, and acts completely different from Icewhisker and me. Siblings have at least something alike, right?"

"Yeah, like, they like the same piece of fresh-kill. Seriously, I think that you're overreacting."

"No! It's really starting to bother me. Sometimes Ferncloud acts like she's not even my mother. It's really weird."

Some nervous twinge awoke in Nightpaw's belly. She felt the same way about Sunsplash. She stepped forward. "I know how you feel, Frostclaw."

"Thank you, Nightpaw." Frostclaw purred. His whiskers twitched. Nightpaw flinched as a whisker brushed against her face. He stepped back. "Sorry!"

Nightpaw stumbled back. "It's all right. I don't mind." The touch had startled her, mostly because Frostclaw didn't seem the type of cat who liked to touch others, even his own Clanmates.

Shaking her head, Nightpaw bounded away, ignoring Frostclaw's confused cry behind her.

Nightpaw settled down to sleep that night, missing the warmth of the three new warriors in their nests near her. She closed her eyes, trying to sleep.

Sparks exploded in her mind. She was whisked away to a star- filled sky, feeling the brush of a white pelt against hers. She could hear a whispering voice. _"It is not a hard choice to make." _Was it Icewhisker? Nightpaw woke up. Compared to the blinding white of her dream, the night was unusually black. A twig cracking broke the moment. She turned with a flash of surprise and- was that guilt?

Frostclaw was standing at the entrance of the apprentice den. She stood. "Frostclaw? Shouldn't you be sitting vigil?"

He nodded but then beckoned with his tail for her to follow her.

She followed him. They walked around the Highrock. Nightpaw looked curiously at the white warrior. He kept walking, and finally they came to where the Highrock met the cliff wall. There was a little hole in the wall which led to a wall with a series of claw-holds, and Frostclaw began to climb. Nightpaw gazed up at him curiously and he beckoned for her to follow. Soon the tunnel widened to a cave, which overlooked the camp. They sat in the little alcove, Nightpaw staring at him. He pointed at the sky with his tail. She looked up and gasped.

"That's beautiful!"

Stars littered the sky in a long, glittering pelt. The moon curved like a claw in the corner, and trees stood black against the light. They sat under the alcove for a long time, staring at the sky. Then Frostclaw and Nightpaw stood and began to climb down and walk back around the narrow path.

A hiss startled them and they looked quickly around.

"Icewhisker!" Nightpaw bounded eagerly forward. "I'm so proud of you. You're a warrior at last!"

"What are you two doing?" Icewhisker demanded accusingly. Nightpaw detected the subtlest hint of an emotion that she had felt in herself, too- but before she could ponder it further, Frostclaw spoke. "We're just talking about Foxwhisker."

Icewhisker's face darkened. "Oh. Him."

"Look, what's wrong? You guys shouldn't be talking. You just broke your vigil!" Nightpaw burst out. Icewhisker flattened his ears. "Last night, we heard Silverpool and Ferncloud talking. They were just discussing the next deputy. Every cat knows that Firestar is on his last life."

"He is?"

"Oh. Yes. He lost one in battle against ShadowClan while you were… um…"

"Go on." Nightpaw didn't feel like talking about what had caused Silverpool and Sunsplash to hate each other.

"Well, Silverpool said that she fully expects her sister to become deputy. Then Ferncloud got all shaky, and Silverpool asked what was wrong. And she said- she said-"

"What?" Nightpaw asked.

"She said that she knows where those two kits that they found came from. She said they came from WindClan, and she said that she knew that their father was a WindClan cat."

"But that could be any cat!" Nightpaw protested. "Any cat with a littermate could be from WindClan."

"But not every cat with a littermate is Ferncloud's kit. It's us; I just know that it's us! We're half WindClan!"

"No, you're not!" Nightpaw cried. "Ferncloud loves Dustpelt. She wouldn't just go running off with a WindClan cat."

"She might not, but that doesn't mean another cat wouldn't," replied Icewhisker. A hush spread over their little group.

"You're saying you're not Ferncloud's kit?" gasped Nightpaw.

"I don't know," whispered Icewhisker as they reached the outside of the warriors' den.

A twig cracked behind them and Foxwhisker appeared. His eyes widened in surprise. He beckoned to his littermates with his tail.

"Yes, I know, we broke our vigil," snapped Icewhisker. "Fine. We'll go back to it. We can talk about it later," he said to Nightpaw.

"Hey! Mousebrain!" Thrushwing yowled, and they all jumped and looked around at each other guiltily. How many cats were out tonight?

"You stupid cat. You'll never heal if you keep wandering out of the medicine den all the time. I have enough to deal with already, what with Willowpaw and Silverpool's injuries, without you wandering off! You're aware you've also broken your vigil, right?" Thrushwing padded over to them.

Her words were stern, but Nightpaw caught a flash of affection as she turned away. Frostclaw looked back apologetically before limping after her. Foxwhisker shot a glance back at them, twitched his whiskers in silent amusement, and went back to his post at the camp entrance.

"Well-" Nightpaw said. She felt awkward. She had never felt this uncomfortable with Icewhisker in her life. He glared at her. "What were you really doing with Frostclaw?"

Nightpaw flinched. "I was just talking about Foxwhisker!" she protested, fur growing hot at the lie. Icewhisker relaxed. "Okay, then," he meowed. "Good." He leaned forward and brushed his nose against her fur before padding away. Nightpaw sighed. Why was Icewhisker so aggressive all the time? She stood, contemplating all they had told her, before walking slowly back to the den and flopping down in her nest.

**A.N.- New chapter! WOOT WOOT!**


	12. Part 2: Chapter 5

Two sunhighs later, Firestar called a summons to the Clan. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

Nightpaw joined her siblings in the clearing below the ledge that overlooked their camp. Firestar looked solemnly down at his Clan.

"It's time to appoint two new warriors," he began. "Flamepaw and Splashpaw, please come up to the rock."

Nightpaw's belly churned with suppressed emotions. _They're going to be warriors! _She silently cheered for her siblings. But at the same time, a dark, envious thought bubbled up in her mind and burst on the surface. _Why can't I go up there with them?_

Stormheart came up from behind. She turned, and he must have seen the hint of jealousy in her violet-blue eyes. He bowed his head. "Nightpaw, they're so much farther ahead in their training than you. Firestar offered, but I had to decline. You're ahead of any apprentice who's had the same amount of training as you, but not ahead enough to be a warrior."

She lowered her eyes, shame replacing envy. "I understand, Stormheart."

"Splashpaw, from this day forward, your warrior name will be Splashfoot. StarClan honors your truthfulness and honor, and we welcome you as a full warrior of the Clan."

Splashfoot, barely keeping in her excitement, ran to lick Firestar's shoulder, and then she bounded to Foxwhisker, nuzzled his flank, and seemed to burst. She put her muzzle to the sky and yowled, "Yes!"

"Flamepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Flamestep. StarClan honors your loyalty and your willingness to do anything, and we welcome you, too, as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Flamestep's eyes glowed. He licked Firestar's shoulder and padded away to sit by himself at the edge of the clearing. He looked modest, although Nightpaw caught him exchanging a glance with Blossomfall.

She sighed. She was proud of her siblings, but why couldn't she join them in their vigil?

Nightpaw awoke in the middle of the night to hear a terrible screech. "Willowpaw!"

Immediately awake, Nightpaw stumbled into the medicine den and watched in horror as blood gushed out of her sister's wounds. Thrushwing crouched next to her, wailing. "I can't stop the bleeding! Oh, StarClan, no!"

Willowpaw twisted in her nest and Nightpaw grabbed a pawful of moss, frantically stuffing it on the wound. The blood gradually slowed, and Thrushwing hunched over, licking Willowpaw's cheek. "I'm sorry, Willowpaw," she murmured as Nightpaw crept out of the den.

She had a fitful sleep afterwards. She dreamed that she was running, running forever. She looked down and her paws were glowing with silver starlight. Words whispered in her mind. _There will be three… who hold the power of the stars in their paws… three to save the three… two becoming one…_

"Nightpaw! Nightpaw!"

Her shoulders shook as though a cat was clawing at them. She shuddered and opened her eyes.

"Lionblaze!" It was a cat shaking her shoulder. The orange warrior was shaking her as though she would never get up.

"I'm awake, I'm awake," she grumbled as Lionblaze continued shaking. He stopped and hissed, "Shh!"

"What?"

"Don't wake anybody else up!"

"Keep your fur on," she muttered, and she stumbled out of the den. Splashfoot and Flamestep already waited for her, grooming the sleep out of their ruffled pelts and looking annoyed. Jayfeather and Dovewing were there, too. The gray she-cat jerked her head towards the forest. "Coming?"

They walked for a long time, until they arrived at a small clearing. Nightpaw grunted. "Why are we here?"

"We're testing you," Jayfeather explained.

"Is this training?"

"Sort of," he mumbled. Splashfoot grunted. "We're _warriors _now, in case you hadn't noticed."

Jayfeather coolly met her gaze. Nightpaw found herself shuddering as his blue eyes scanned them, staying with hers for a moment longer before they swept away. She didn't understand how those blind eyes knew where they were going.

"A long time ago," he began, "StarClan gave Firestar a prophecy in his dreams."

Nightpaw snorted. He sounded like an elder telling a nursery tale! "How do you even know about Firestar's dreams? You can't read minds!"

"Who says I can't?" Jayfeather murmured, silencing her. He continued as though Nightpaw hadn't said anything. "They told him that there would be three, kin of his kin, who held the power of the stars in his paws."

Her dream! Nightpaw shivered ever so slightly as Jayfeather pierced her again with those bright, unseeing eyes.

"So we were born. Lionblaze, Dovewing and I, we all have special powers. They were given to us by cats older than even StarClan."

"StarClan!" gasped Nightpaw. "Nothing's as old as StarClan!"

"You don't know that, Nightpaw," said Jayfeather calmly. He waved his tail at Dovewing, who took up the story.

"Lionblaze can't be hurt in battle. Jayfeather walks in other cats' dreams. I have senses that reach farther than the territories of all four Clans."

"That's not right," whispered Flamestep.

Dovewing glared at him. "Then, they gave another prophecy. Three to help the three, two becoming one."

"We haven't figured out that last bit yet," Lionblaze admitted. "But we're pretty sure that we understand the first part. You're three cats, kin of Dovewing's kin. Dovewing is kin of Firestar's kin. You're the cats who will help us in this prophecy."

"What? That's impossible!" Flamestep gasped.

"It seemed like that to me, too," admitted Dovewing. "I was angry at first. I was scared. I had to lie to my whole Clan. It wasn't easy, being special."

"Why?" asked Splashfoot. "Why do we have these powers?"

"Have you ever heard of Tigerstar?"

Nightpaw searched her memory for any tales that the elders had told. She tried desperately to remember the story of Tigerstar.

"He was… the leader of ShadowClan."

"Yes." Jayfeather said patiently. "He was a very bad cat. He killed to get what he wanted. He holds a grudge against Firestar, still."

"Don't tell me he went to StarClan!"

"No. He went to a different place. The Dark Forest. And now he's training cats from the Clans to kill. He's making a whole Clan of warriors, using them to take over and obliterate all of the Clans. Ivypool is our spy there."

Nightpaw opened her mouth and searched her brain for words. She closed it again.

"But… surely cats wouldn't hurt their own Clans!" protested Splashfoot.

"They don't understand," explained Lionblaze. "They think that they're being trained in these skills to help their Clan, not hurt them."

"Now, we will test you for your powers. Whether you have them or not, _never _tell any cat what we just told you."

"But what if-"

"No."

"Now we can test you," Lionblaze broke in, glaring at Jayfeather.

"Now. Splashfoot. Can you tell me what's going on back at camp?" Dovewing asked.

Splashfoot's eyes glazed. "They're all a little scared. They must be worrying about Willowpaw." Her body tensed as she spoke her sister's name. "Redkit and Whitekit are making Berrynose pretty frustrated. Maybe they're asking for another piece of fresh-kill!" She purred. "Thornclaw's startled. Firestar and Sandstorm are talking about something that makes them both confused."

"You know all that?" Dovewing said. Splashfoot shifted her paws. "I've known it since I was a kit. I thought every cat could sense other cats' feelings."

"I thought that too, about my power. But they can't, at least not as well as you," Dovewing meowed.

"Nightpaw," Lionblaze said. Was that a hint of hesitation in his voice? "I'll race you to the camp and back."

Jayfeather purred with amusement as Nightpaw shot off. The forest blurred as she ran. She glanced back and saw Lionblaze, a tiny speck in the distance. Adrenaline pumped through her, and the forest vanished. A starry field took its place. Her fur whipped in the draft and she stretched her mouth wide open, her yowl of euphoria lost in the wind rushing past.

She reached the camp and turned so fast that she sprayed dirt and pebbles into the air. Then she raced back to Jayfeather.

The blind medicine cat was still purring when Nightpaw arrived. He stopped purring, then stumbled back in shock. "Great StarClan! I didn't expect you to be that fast!"

"What?" Nightpaw looked behind her.

"I didn't sense you until you stopped running!"

Lionblaze stumbled into view, panting. "She's… fast. I didn't make it to the camp! I had to turn back!"

"Um, yes, she is fast, mousebrain!"

"I just ran," she meowed in confusion.

The two cats looked at her in disbelief. "Are you kidding? You were so fast, I couldn't see you." Lionblaze said.

"I thought you were joking," she confessed. But now that she had proved it, she could feel the hidden power bubbling up through her paws. She had to fight the urge to yowl in ecstasy. _I have the power of the stars in my paws!_

"Flamestep," Lionblaze said. "Did you know that Blossomfall has been meeting a RiverClan warrior?"

"What!" shrieked Flamestep. He launched himself at Lionblaze. "Who told you that?"

"Um… Bumblestripe let it slip."

Flamestep growled, studying Lionblaze's face. Then he leapt off of the warrior, shaking his head. "Why are you lying to me?"

Nightpaw and Splashfoot exchanged a glance. Flamestep was making it very transparent how much he cared about the tortoiseshell warrior.

"I'm not lying," Lionblaze meowed smoothly. Flamestep glanced at Jayfeather. "Yes, you are. He knows you're lying, too."

Lionblaze relaxed. "You're right," he said quietly. "I'm testing you. Jayfeather, we've found them. We've found the Three."

"Now," Jayfeather meowed briskly. "You can't tell any cat this. The only other cats who know are Firestar, Cinderheart and Ivypool. Don't tell any cat, or the Clan will panic- they'll ruin everything we've built."

"Why does Cinderheart know?" Nightpaw challenged, not ready to believe the tales. Jayfeather broke off. "Oh- um…"

Lionblaze was staring at his paws. Splashfoot started to tremble. "Lionblaze- you-you-" She broke off, unsheathing her claws and sinking them into the dirt. Her tail lashed and she stared at the stars, eyes watering.

"Splashfoot! What's wrong?" Nightpaw yowled.

"He-"

"He has experienced pain like very few cats ever have before," interrupted Jayfeather, and he led them away, leaving Lionblaze in the forest, alone.

"Hey, Nightpaw!" called Stormheart. She looked up. Ever since the night Jayfeather had told them about their powers, she couldn't concentrate on anything.

"What's wrong? You can barely hit me, let alone fight me anymore! Remember the first day of your apprenticeship? You beat me twice!"

"Yeah, Nightpaw," Icewhisker snapped. "You want to do the move more like this." He swept his paw under her feet, causing her to fall on her side. Icewhisker leapt on her and began to pummel her sides. Her scar burned. She leapt to her feet. "Fine. Let's try it again."

Stormheart charged at her, and Nightpaw, instead of flashing a paw out to trip him, leapt into the air. Stormheart, who had jumped to avoid the swipe he expected, let out a yowl of surprise as Nightpaw tackled him. He shoved her off with his hind legs and pinned her down.

"That was much better!" he meowed.

Icewhisker snorted, purring at Nightpaw teasingly. "Come on. Let's go get some fresh-kill."

Nightpaw followed him into the clearing and watched as he sat down. Eagerly she bounded over to the fresh-kill pile, wincing as she tripped over something long and skinny, like a tree root.

"Ow!" Icewhisker snapped behind her. She has tripped over his tail! She turned quickly. "Sorry, Icewhisker!"

"Why are you so _clumsy_?" He flattened his ears and went back to his vole, drawing his tail protectively around his paws.

"Icewhisk-" She stopped and turned away, trudging towards the fresh-kill pile.

Nightpaw grabbed a vole from the pile and began eating it hungrily. Icewhisker finished his sparrow quickly. "Hurry up, Nightpaw!" he ordered. "You have to come on sunhigh patrol with us!"

"I just went on dawn patrol," Nightpaw protested.

"Do as you're told," Icewhisker retorted. "Apprentices listen to warriors." Nightpaw flattened her ears. "You're only a moon older than me!"

"Deal with it," the warrior growled.

"No!" Nightpaw unsheathed her claws and sank them into the dirt angrily.

Icewhisker launched himself at her and swiped her paws from under her, planting his paws on her shoulders and leaning in close. Nightpaw shrank away. The tom was bigger and stronger than her, looming over like a shadow. She pushed him away angrily.

"You're coming on patrol!" he yowled, baring his teeth. Nightpaw backed away, lashing her tail defiantly. "You have no control over me, foxdung!"

Icewhisker's eyes narrowed into chips of blue ice. His claws slid out from their protective sheaths, and he lashed out at her. Nightpaw dodged quickly and slid around him, nipping his haunches quickly. He snarled and chased her, but Nightpaw dodged.

"Nightpaw! Frostclaw! What are you doing?" Firestar padded up behind Nightpaw. "Firestar, Nightpaw was disobeying orders," Icewhisker told the flame-colored tom.

"Nightpaw, please do what Icewhisker tells you. I know he isn't much older than you, but I trust him to do what he thinks is best for the Clan., and I expect you to, too."

Ashamed, Nightpaw dipped her head. "Sorry."

Instead of replying, Icewhisker narrowed his eyes and flicked his tail, padding towards the rest of the patrol.

"I hate patrolling the ShadowClan border," grumbled Nightpaw.

"I know," meowed Frostclaw sympathetically. The patrol was just padding away from another barrage of taunts, teasing, and jeers about her scars.

"Gonna go scare off some foxes with that ugly face of yours?" yowled Wetpaw. Nightpaw stopped and half-turned around as Wetpaw's mentor shushed her. "She earned those scars in a great battle," the ShadowClan cat said, casting an apologetic glance at Nightpaw.

"Yeah," Nightpaw hissed back. "Greater than you ever fought, Wetpaw. The harshest battle you've ever been in is with your littermates, fighting over the best piece of fresh-kill."

Wetpaw growled, but her mentor stopped her from leaping over the border with her tail. "Don't start fights that you can't win," the mentor growled at his apprentice. "You can clean the elders bed for the next moon for such reckless behavior."

Nightpaw drew back her lips smugly at the ShadowClan apprentice. "Bye, Wet_kit_," she called over her shoulder, giving her tail a last lash of disrespect before bounding after her patrol.

"You're not ugly, Nightpaw," murmured Icewhisker. He pressed himself into Nightpaw's pelt. "They're just provoking you."

"I _know!"_ she snapped, Icewhisker's taunts from earlier still crawling in her pelt.

"What's your problem?" he asked gently.

"I'm so worried about Willowpaw!" confessed Nightpaw. "Ever since her cut opened up again, she's been asleep. She won't wake up. She breathes so slow…"

Icewhisker leaned over and brushed her whiskers with his nose. "Don't worry. Thrushwing will find some way to heal her."

Nightpaw pulled uneasily away. She wasn't sure if she completely trusted Icewhisker. The incident where she had accidentally stepped on his tail was fresh on her mind.

"Wait! Wait!" The call stopped the patrol in their tracks. Flamestep bounded up to them, panting. "Is Splashfoot with you?"

"No," replied Icewhisker. "I thought she went on the dawn patrol."

"She did. They saw a bird and Splashfoot told them she would catch up with them. She tracked the bird. But now we can't find her. Foxwhisker is going out of his mind!"

"We'll keep an eye out," promised Nightpaw, ignoring the cold feeling of panic that seeped down her belly. Flamestep nodded gratefully. "I'll go then. Firestar's making me clean out the elders' den, because Cherrypaw and Molepaw had hunting patrol." Sniffing in annoyance, he bounded off.

Icewhisker stiffened suddenly. "What's that smell?"

Nightpaw opened her mouth to let the rich scents of the forests flood in. "It's Splashfoot!"

They tracked the scent. It wove all around the border, sometimes weaving around tree trunks, sometimes wading through the stream. "What in StarClan's name was she doing?" muttered Nightpaw.

"She must have been tracking a grouse," replied Frostclaw. "I smell one of those, too."

They continued following the scent. It strayed over to the WindClan border. Suddenly, the scent vanished into a wall of thick brambles.

"What happened?" wailed Nightpaw.

"Maybe a WindClan patrol stole her!" gasped Berrynose.

"Then there would at least be signs of a fight," Icewhisker reasoned calmly. "She can't have just disappeared. Does the scent go to either side?"

"No," replied Nightpaw, trying to calm herself.

"Look!" called Frostclaw, who had been nosing around the wall.

Nightpaw pushed her nose into the spot where Frostclaw had shouted. "It's a tunnel!"

The brambles trembled slightly when they were disturbed. Nightpaw pushed her head into the small hole, wincing as a thorn pierced her pad, and pulled herself through. "I think you can fit," she called to the rest of the cats. She licked her pad fiercely as Frostclaw, Berrynose, and finally Icewhisker pushed through the small hole to join her.

"Great StarClan!" Frostclaw meowed. He bounded off to the other side of the enclosed bush. "It's like a secret camp!"

"But not big enough," added Nightpaw. "Look. There's a hole in the-"

She gasped as she looked into the gaping hole in the center of the clearing at a broken body below. "Splashfoot!"

The young warrior must have just leapt to catch the grouse when the ground collapsed. The silver cat's fur was dirty and matted, and blood coated her paws where she must have swatted the grouse. The large bird that she had hunted was clutched in her mouth.

"No, no, no! Splashfoot!" Nightpaw wailed. Icewhisker's eyes were wide. "Don't-"

But Nightpaw jumped down into the hole. It was a hard landing, but she managed to stay on her paws. She pressed her muzzle into her sister's flank. "Don't be dead, Splashfoot, please don't be dead," she begged. She felt for the silver cat's heartbeat. Nightpaw stiffened. "She's alive!" There was a faint thump of a heart behind the coat of dust and mud on her sister's fur.

Frostclaw jumped down with a thump. "You mousebrain!" he scolded. "You could have tripped and fallen like Splashfoot. Then what would we do?"

"Hey, dumb cats," called Berrynose from above them. "How are we going to get you out of there? You can't jump out!"

They looked up. Icewhisker's white and gray head poked out over ten tail-lengths above them. "Well?" he snapped. "How do you expect to escape?"

Nightpaw glanced wildly about. "Look!" she cried. "It's a tunnel!"

Another hole poked out of the side of the dirt. Icewhisker peered over at them. "Foxdung," he muttered. "You two are not going that way. You'll get lost. You'll die down there!"

"It's got to lead upward eventually," reasoned Nightpaw. Icewhisker growled. "When you get an idea in your head…"

"Let's go!" Nightpaw bounded towards the tunnel.

"I'll go get a patrol to help!" called Berrynose.

"Wait." A thud sounded, and Icewhisker shook each of his paws in turn as Nightpaw scuttled away like a frightened squirrel. "You're trapped now, too," she pointed out.

"Shut up," growled Icewhisker, scooping up Splashfoot on his back. Nightpaw reeled back in shock. She had never heard such harsh words coming out of his mouth.

"What's wrong with you?" she cried. "You think that I'll still forgive you, no matter what you say."

"Why do you always have to be such an annoying piece of foxdung?" snarled Icewhisker. "You're not the only one suffering, you know. You think you're so special-"

Nightpaw spat in his face. "You think you can just say anything to me," she growled, her voice icy cold. "Well, maybe you can after you learn how to be nice to a cat!"

Icewhisker's eyes widened as he realized what he had said. "Nightpaw, I'm sorry-"

Nightpaw silenced him with a cold glare and turned her back.

"Let's go," she meowed to Frostclaw. She bounded ahead, not caring whether he joined her or not.

A moment later the light began to gradually fade. She padded on in darkness, letting her whiskers guide her. She was just getting used to walking in the dark when something sharp lodged between her pads. "Ow!" she cried out. Immediately pawsteps approached her. She flinched away from the white shape that passed her, afraid that it might be Icewhisker. _But he's carrying Splashfoot._ It was Frostclaw, and he was carrying some plants in his mouth.

"Look! I found these in a cave. They were growing underground!" Frostclaw set down the herbs and sniffed at her pad. "Looks like they'll be useful." He chewed a leaf of the herb and gently rubbed it into Nightpaw's pad. She stiffened. The juice stung.

"Are you all right?" Frostclaw asked her gently, and Nightpaw knew that he was referring to more than her paw. He was talking about everything. He was talking about her injuries and the ShadowClan battles and Sunsplash. He was talking about Icewhisker and Splashfoot. He was even asking about himself. Nightpaw hesitated. _He's prickly as a hedgehog!_ But her sense of truth was stronger than her guilt. She twined her tail with his. "I'm okay, Frostclaw. I'm fine."

She let the dim light in her mind show the way as the two padded down the tunnel, tails entwined, pelts brushing, their pawsteps echoing through the hollow space under the earth.

**A.N.- Help me come up with something for my parody stories!**


	13. Part 2: Chapter 6

They opened their eyes wide with hope as a speck of light appeared in the distance. "Look!" cried Nightpaw. "It's a way out!" She ran back through the tunnel to tell Icewhisker.

"Icewhisker?" There was no sign of the warrior. She sighed. "Icewhisker, stop moping. We've found a way out!" She lifted her chin and sniffed, but she couldn't smell him.

A shiver ran down her spine. She sniffed again. There was still no trace of the white warrior.

"Icewhisker?" She raced up and down the tunnel, calling his name. He had her sister. He couldn't just disappear! "Icewhisker, come out right now or else!" she threatened.

She returned to Frostclaw. "He's gone!"

"No! He can't! He'll get lost!"

Nightpaw unsheathed her claws and dug them into the ground. As grumpy as the white warrior had been, she was still worried about him. _And he's got my sister!_ She scraped at the ground with her claws. If Icewhisker had dragged her sister into unknown tunnels without her…

"We can still wait for them in the open," Frostclaw said. "Maybe Splashfoot woke up and she made him let her walk. They'll probably pop out in a couple of moments."

They padded ahead. The light grew brighter, but not as bright as she had expected. Her pad scraped on a rock as the tunnel opened up.

"Oh, wow!" She didn't know whether to be excited or dismayed. The tunnel didn't lead to the outside, after all. But it did open up into a cave- the most beautiful cave she had ever seen.

The clearing in the cave was overgrown with plants. Trees grew out of the dense undergrowth. A small spring trickled through the center. Nightpaw squeaked like a kit as she saw the brown pelt of a mouse. They were in an underground forest.

Towers of rock loomed over them. She looked up and flinched. There were vines crisscrossing the roof of the cave, and the top opened up to a small hole, where sunlight was shining through. She looked over and saw a tiny waterfall, just big enough for small fish to splash underneath.

"How is this possible?" gasped Nightpaw. Frostclaw gazed up at the trees. "It- it's not-"

"Icewhisker!" called Nightpaw. "Icewhisker, are you in here?"

"Rahh! My territory! Get out!"

Nightpaw spun around and found herself facing a full-grown black cat. "Get out! My space!"

"Aaah!" Nightpaw screeched as the cat leapt at her, screeching. Instinctively, she leapt towards the black cat's paws. The cat moved to intercept her, but she moved unusually slowly. Nightpaw dodged and leapt, landing on the cat's back. The angry cat howled in rage and flipped over, squashing Nightpaw. Nightpaw gasped as the air was crushed out of her.

"Get off!" she screeched. She dug her teeth deep into the other cat's scruff. The cat yowled in anger and leapt onto her paws. Without leaving her time to think, the cat charged her. Nightpaw leapt into the air, timing it so that when the cat was underneath her, she crashed on top. Even though the cat was full-grown, stronger and heavier than her, it took quite a bit of work for it to shake her off. Nightpaw stood, half-crouching and hissing, as the other cat shook itself off and prepared to leap.

Suddenly, the cat sprang. Nightpaw tried to dodge, but she was tiring, and the cat pushed her hard into the rock wall of the cave.

"Mrrp! Ouch! Stop!" cried Nightpaw in panic. She could feel the life flowing out of her slowly. Blood seeped out of her wounds. If this cat was a rogue, it wouldn't hesitate to kill her. She closed her eyes.

The cat's paw disappeared from around her throat. She slid down the rock, gasping for air. A silvery cat approached her. Was this cat from StarClan?

She opened her eyes wider. It wasn't a StarClan cat. It was Frostclaw. He was bounding towards her, wide-eyed. Nightpaw looked around and saw the cat who had attacked her, crouching near the stream.

With a yowl, Nightpaw sprang at the offender, clawing its ears hard. The cat gave a shriek. Nightpaw wrestled it to the ground. The cat struggled. Nightpaw held her claws at its throat. The cat's eyes widened. "Don't kill me!"

"You would have killed me!"

"No I wouldn't! I haven't killed a cat since-" The cat stopped. It flattened its ears. "Let me up. Now!"

Nightpaw sheathed her claws, but kept sitting on the cat. She studied it more closely and realized it was a she-cat. Her fur was dark and sleek. Her eyes glowed a hostile green. A terrible scar divided the fur on her shoulder.

"How did you get here?"

"That's none of your business, snooper. StarClan forbid you take over my territory _and _tell everyone my secrets."

"You know about StarClan?"

The cat shook its head and snorted. "It's all you mousebrains talk about! 'StarClan be with you.' 'May StarClan light your path.' 'Great StarClan! I'm going to die!' You're obsessed. They're just a bunch of dead cats. They don't send prophecies. They don't guide our paws. You've got to live your own life, not let them live it for you."

"StarClan wouldn't do that!"

"Look, apprentice. If you were a dead cat living in the sky, would you rather be dead or alive?"

"I-"

Frostclaw stepped forward. "Okay, cat, I don't know what this territory is, I don't know where I am, and I don't know who you are. Who are you? What's your name?"

"My name…" the cat said breathlessly. She gazed of into the distance. Nightpaw caught a flicker of sadness in her green gaze. Then she shook her head, and the hardness returned. "Call me Leafstar. How about you?"

_That's a Clan name! _thought Nightpaw, but she shook off the thought. "I'm Nightpaw."

"I'm Frostclaw."

"All right. You're lost. Fine, stay here. There's a den over there. You'll have to share a nest. It's not very big. Catch prey. Use my herbs. Pray to StarClan."

Leafstar padded away. Frostclaw glanced at Nightpaw. "I'm starving. Let's hunt."

Nightpaw was distracted through the whole session of hunting. She managed to catch a squirrel and padded back to Frostclaw, who had been much more successful. He laid a mouse and two voles at her feet. "Nice squirrel," he commented. "It's bigger than your head!"

"You caught more," Nightpaw pointed out.

"These? They're the size of Dustpelt's brain. Can you imagine the complaints the elders would give me?" Frostclaw adopted a snotty voice. "'Do you expect me to eat this fox dung, you lazy apprentice? It's hardly big enough for a kit. Berrynose was just like you when he was an apprentice, and look how he turned out! Too lazy to give us elders decent fresh-kill!'" He purred and sat next to her, brushing his tail against her fur.

Nightpaw stifled a purr, choking it into a growl of exasperation. She didn't know what Frostclaw was doing. _Toms are so confusing!_ She turned her back and began eating her squirrel. _Icewhisker is the one I'm loyal to! Why does Frostclaw have to make it so hard for me?_

She was too immersed in her thoughts that night to see the silver cat approaching her until it stuck its muzzle in her face.

"Willowpaw!" shrieked Nightpaw. Willowpaw bowed her head. "Yes. Thrushwing and Jayfeather were both out collecting herbs when my wound opened again. No cat could get to me in time."

"No!" she wailed. "Why, Willowpaw? Why did you have to die as an apprentice?"

"But I'm not," the silvery-blue she-cat whispered. "Firestar gave me my name before I died. My name is not Willowpaw. StarClan has received me as a warrior. My name is Willowfall."

Grief filled Nightpaw like a flood. Her sister had died without knowing the joy of being a warrior. The only experience she had as warrior was her name.

"Why?" whispered Nightpaw. "Why did you have to die?"

"This is not why I have come," her sister replied, pressing her fur into Nightpaw's. "You have a mission here. I don't know what it is, or how you will achieve it. I just know that it will make our Clan stronger."

The beautiful she-cat began to fade from view. "No!" cried Nightpaw. "No! Willowfall! Don't die!"

"What are you talking about? I'm just going hunting."

Nightpaw jerked awake. Frostclaw was standing over her, looking concerned. "Do you want to come, too? You can hunt with me." Was he looking hopeful? Nightpaw shook her head in disgust. "No. No, that's okay. I'll hunt on my own."

"Oh. Okay." Frostclaw padded away, looking uncertainly over his shoulder, before bounding away.

"Mousebrained fool," muttered Leafstar, padding out of the shadows. She yawned and began to wash herself. "Toms," she added. "You can't rely on them at all. Like my brothers."

"So," she continued through a mouthful of fur. "What are you doing here?"

"We were looking for the exit," Nightpaw meowed indignantly. "We just got lost. How did you end up down here?"

The dark she-cat hissed. "I was trapped down here in the old territory. I heard you cats talking through thin parts of the tunnel. When you left, I followed you."

"You mean, on the Second Great Journey?"

"Yes."

"But how did you get trapped in the first place?" Nightpaw shivered, imagining tunnels collapsing, leaving a cat nowhere to run except for deeper into the earth…

Leafstar bared her teeth. "My brothers. They thought that I had done wrong. They drove me down here, and then the tunnels collapsed. A rock gave me this scar." She shrugged her shoulder. "As if I would do anything without thinking! I considered him long enough. My family was doomed from the start. He could have ripped us apart."

_What? This cat makes no sense._ Nightpaw twitched an ear in confusion."Who are you talking about?"

"A cat who could have ruined your precious Clan and the whole warrior code! Don't you hear nursery tales about him? His heart was dark with envy. He deserved to die!"

"Tigerstar?"

"No! Mousebrain!" Leafstar started to quiver. "If he had lived, he would have torn into us like fresh-kill and left us to rot like crowfood. It's lucky he died. They found him on the WindClan border…"

She shivered. Nightpaw crouched on the ground. This cat was making her nervous. "So… were you the leader of a Clan?"

"_No!" _The cat's hiss made Nightpaw jump backwards. "I am the leader down here. I live with my own Clan. My kits…"

Leafstar stopped and closed her mouth. Her whiskers twitched nervously as Nightpaw jumped in delight. "You have kits? Oh, may I see them? Please?"

Leafstar licked her chest fur. "Oh, fine," she meowed, her voice softer and filled with pride. "You're barely a kit yourself. You can come and see them. There are two. I'm training them. Their father…" Leafstar coughed. Her voice held sadness now. "Their father was killed by a fox."

"Oh," Nightpaw meowed softly. "I'm sorry."

"Come on," the dark she-cat growled, brisk once again. "It's just about time for me to wake them anyway."

They padded softly through a small, pathlike tunnel in the side of the wall. They emerged in a little cave that held and two sleeping kits. One was a lithe, light brown tabby, and the other was more muscled, dark like his mother, with ginger paws. As they snuggled into each other in their sleep, Leafstar leaned in close to them.

"Larkkit, Emberkit, time to wake up," Leafstar whispered in their ears. Immediately, the ginger and black cat leapt to his paws. His eyes glowed a hostile orange in the dark. "Who's this? She's scary looking!" He glared at Nightpaw, relaxing a little as his mother ran her tail over his back. "Don't be a mousebrain, Emberkit," Leafstar meowed. "She got lost, and so she stayed here for the night." Emberkit's fur flattened slowly. "Sorry."

"It's all right." Nightpaw studied the kit. He couldn't be more than one moon old, yet he was as big as a three moon old kit. He looked like a born warrior.

"I've been teaching them to hunt," Leafstar explained as Larkkit slowly dragged herself out of the nest. "They started eating fresh-kill a few days ago. They catch mice that I've stunned already. They aren't allowed out of the main cave. Not until they're six moons old." She raised a paw, knocking Emberkit down as he tried to dash out of the tunnel. "Not so fast, mousebrain. Wait for Larkkit. You should wash yourself every day, like your sister."

Larkkit finished licking her tail and bounded to the entrance of the tunnel, her yellow eyes glowing. "Can we fight yet?"

"No! Not until you're six moons."

"I'm gonna be the best warrior TunnelClan's ever seen!"

"I know, Emberkit. You'll be the bravest, fiercest, wisest warriors in the Clan." Leafstar led them out of the tunnel and they emerged in the main cave.

"Come with me to catch them a mouse," murmured Leafstar to Nightpaw. She raised her voice. "We're going hunting, kits. You can play in the clearing. Catch a couple of moths. If you see a mouse, maybe you can catch it and add it to the pile."

The kits nodded. Larkkit squeaked as Emberkit leapt on top of her.

They padded away. The cave was huge. Nightpaw spotted a nest of mice in a corner. They made a few kills. Nightpaw spotted a fleeing squirrel and began to creep up on it, but Leafstar stopped her with her tail. "No. Watch me."

The dark she-cat stalked the squirrel. The prey's ears twitched, and Leafstar froze. After a long moment, the squirrel began to nibble on something that it had found on the ground.

Leafstar acted fast. She pounced and trapped the squirrel underneath her paws, hitting it hard on the head. At first, Nightpaw thought it was dead, but it made a frightened chittering noise and tried to run. It stumbled and fell. Leafstar grasped it gently in her jaws. "This way," she meowed, "it will still be alive for the kits to catch."

They walked back to the clearing and Leafstar dropped the squirrel. It stumbled towards the kits, who had frozen, their eyes fixed on the dazed piece of prey. Leafstar dropped her fresh-kill quietly on the pile, and they settled down to watch the kits at work.

Larkkit crept up on the squirrel from behind. Nightpaw stiffened in anticipation when she bumped against a dead leaf, making a loud crackling noise. But the noise was clearly deliberate after the squirrel streaked towards the nearest tree and began to scramble up it. Emberkit leapt at it, but missed by a claw-length. The squirrel sat, dazed, on the lowest limb. Leafstar caught her breath audibly as her kit crouched, then made a massive leap towards the branch. He soared into the air and caught the surprised prey's tail, dragging it down and killing it in midair.

"Yay!" cheered Larkkit. "We caught it!"

"Good job!" congratulated Leafstar, rushing into the clearing. Emberkit beamed with pride. "Did you see me leap? That squirrel didn't stand a chance!"

Frostclaw came up behind her. "Come on," he meowed quietly. "I've found a way out."

"Leafstar, we've found the way out!" announced Nightpaw. Leafstar pricked her ears. "Well, that means you can go. Goodbye. StarClan be with you!"

"No," Nightpaw continued. "That's not what I meant. I wanted to ask you if you will come with us."

"To the Clans?" Leafstar shied away from Nightpaw. "No! No! I can't go there!"

"But your kits! Think of them. It's their destiny," promised Nightpaw. "They have the opportunity to be raised as warriors, with respect for StarClan, the warrior code, and their own Clan. They'll be trained in the way of the warrior!"

"No! I can't go up there! They won't understand…"

"Leave her alone," Frostclaw muttered. "She's so weird. Who cares if she doesn't come up with us?"

They started padding away, but stopped when they heard the thud of pawsteps behind them.

The dark she-cat let out her breath. "It's been so long since I followed the warrior code… Fine. I'll bring my kits to ThunderClan."

Finally a weak ray of sunlight beamed against the floor of the tunnel. Frostclaw led them around so many twists and turns. Finally, he stopped. "I smell fresh air!"

"Mother, where are we going?" cried Larkkit.

And they burst out of the ground. Emberkit and Larkkit squeaked as fresh-kill rained down on them like snow. Nightpaw looked around. "We're in the middle of the fresh-kill pile!"

"Nightpaw?" gasped Firestar from the Highledge. He jumped down. "What are you doing in our fresh-kill?" While Frostclaw explained to Firestar, Nightpaw showed Leafstar and her kits to the nursery. Nightpaw immediately rushed to Poppyfrost and Ferncloud. Poppyfrost was fast asleep, two tiny kits curled at her belly, but Ferncloud's ears were pricked.

"Ferncloud, is it true? Is Willowfall really…" The gray she-cat nodded, bending her head. "I'm so sorry, Nightpaw. She would have made a great warrior." The she-cat's gaze leapt to Leafstar. "What's she doing in here?"

"Ferncloud, is it okay if Leafstar stays in here with her kits?"

Ferncloud looked down at the tiny kits and her gaze softened. "Of course she can." The gray she-cat turned to Leafstar. "You can have Dawnfall's nest. She moved out just yesterday."

"She did?" gasped Nightpaw. "Who are her kits apprenticed to?"

"Well, for the first time in Clan history, Jayfeather has two medicine cat apprentices," said Ferncloud. Nightpaw sat with a thud. "He's taken on Bluepaw?"

"Yes. He said they'd need all the medicine cats they'll get." She grunted. "I don't think I was supposed to hear him say that.

"Redpaw is mentored by Flamestep," she continued, and Nightpaw squeaked in excitement. Her brother was a mentor!

"Ivypool is mentoring Whitepaw. Dawnfall asked to mentor one of her own, so Firestar gave her Streampaw. Lionblaze took on Sweetpaw. I don't know why they call her Sweetpaw. They should have called her Spicypaw."

Nightpaw purred in agreement.

"Squirrelflight chose to mentor Stonepaw, and Silverpool is mentoring Wavepaw."

"She is?" Nightpaw jumped in delight. Her mother had an apprentice! "When did they start training?"

"This morning, when the dawn patrol went out," Ferncloud purred. "She wasn't happy about that. We heard her grumbling all the way to the border. Did you know that Poppyfrost had two new kits?"

Nightpaw purred down at the two tiny furballs. "Did she have them yesterday?"

"The night before, actually. She named them Berrykit and Honeykit. Both she-cats."

Berrykit, a dark red, sleek kit, looked up at Nightpaw with big yellow eyes. She blinked, her face filling with wonder. "Who are they?"

Honeykit shook out her pale, creamy fur and shook a dark tan paw, her greenish yellow eyes blinking at Emberkit and Larkkit. "They smell weird!" she added, gazing at her sister, who nodded in agreement.

"Ahem. I'm still here!" announced Emberkit. "I'm hungry! What's that bright glowing thing, and why is it above our heads? Why is the stuff above us blue? It goes up forever! What are those yummy-smelling things that fly on the blue? What are the white things that float above our heads? What's this tickly green stuff under me? What are trees? Why can't I go _home?"_

"Oh dear," murmured Ferncloud as Leafstar comforted her kit. "They really haven't ever been above ground?"

"No," replied Nightpaw. She watched as Larkkit and Emberkit buried their heads in their mother's soft black pelt, wailing for home. "And I'm afraid they will never get used to it."

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting," called Firestar. Nightpaw and Leafstar pricked their ears and padded out of the den with Larkkit and Emberkit in tow.

"Yesterday, Nightpaw and Frostclaw brought us these cats from the tunnels below our territories. I would like the Clan to welcome them as if they were born into the Clan."

Leafstar and her kits hopped up onto a ledge lower than Firestar's. "Hello, ThunderClan," began Leafstar. "I was trapped in the tunnels in a rockslide. When Nightpaw and Frostclaw found me, they convinced me to come up to the Clans, for the sake of my kits. I had heard of the Clans and the warrior code, so I agreed to join ThunderClan and let my kits give their strengths to the cats up here."

She flicked her ears in awkward acknowledgement as cheers rose from the Clan. Nightpaw felt Flamestep tense beside her. "I don't trust her," he hissed, curling his tail around his apprentice, Redpaw. Nightpaw flattened her ears. She had forgotten entirely about the powers given to them. She trusted her brother's judgment, but she flicked off his nervous hiss and continued to listen to Leafstar introduce herself.

"These are my kits," she said. Larkkit pushed ahead of her mother. "Hi!" she called. "I'm Larkkit. I like to hunt. Can I eat those things in the sky? They're white, and fluffy, and they look yummy!"

Laughter spread through the Clan. Leafstar hushed her kit and reassured her that she could not eat clouds.

Emberkit, not to be outdone, leapt onto Firestar's ledge and cried, "I'm Emberkit! I want to fight ShadowClan cats!"

The rumble of laughter in the Clan swept through Nightpaw's ears. She purred in amusement as Leafstar grabbed Emberkit and placed him swiftly on the rock below.

"My name is Leafstar," she continued, glaring at Emberkit. "I was the leader of my own Clan in the tunnels, TunnelClan, but now I suppose I'll need a new name."

"No!" cried Flamestep. "You can use your old name, the one you had before you were a leader. Can't you?"

"Um…" Leafstar hesitated. "Yes, my name was… um… Leafclaw, and I-"

"No!" Flamestep said. "I know who you really are. I mean-" he looked around at the Clan. "Haven't you heard nursery stories about her? She was the one who died for her Clan… or at least, they said she died for her Clan…" He glared at Leafstar. "Your name isn't Leafclaw," he yowled. "Your name is Hollyleaf!"

Next to Nightpaw, Jayfeather made a strange choking noise. She looked over at him just in time to see him falling against Lionblaze, sending them both collapsing slowly to the ground.

_Hollyleaf,_ the Clan whispered. The name echoed through them like leaves rustling on branches. _Hollyleaf, Hollyleaf._

"Oh, no… Holly_leaf, Leaf_star…_"_ muttered Firestar, looking down at the shocked she-cat.

_The _Hollyleaf, Nightpaw realized. The one that had given her life chasing a squirrel into the tunnels in the old territory. "Oh, StarClan," she gasped. "She's come back from the dead!"

"An honorable warrior," gasped Berrynose.

"What are you talking about?" Flamestep growled to the other cats. "She didn't give up her life honorably. She's a killer!"

Lionblaze stood. "Hollyleaf," he gasped. "Hollyleaf!"

And then he was running through the crowd, leaping to Hollyleaf. "Oh, sister!" he cried. "I missed you so much!"

"I can't say the same for you, Lionblaze," growled Hollyleaf. The golden warrior reeled back, hurt blinking in his eyes. "Hollyleaf-"

"She's a murderer!" cried Flamestep. "Firestar, don't let her join the Clan!"

"What?" hissed Hollyleaf. "How can he know?"

"Know what?" Firestar turned to the dark she-cat. "What is he talking about?"

"I had to do it!" cried Hollyleaf. "He would have torn us apart! I always had to take care of them, my dysfunctional family. They couldn't do it themselves- they'd have done it wrong! It was his fault- I had to kill him- the warrior code would have torn us apart otherwise! He was the one who attacked _me_!"

"Kill him?" Firestar growled. "I can't allow a murderer into my Clan, Hollyleaf. Perhaps you would like to explain this."

"She killed Ashfur!" screeched Flamestep.

"No!" wailed Hollyleaf. "He attacked me first!"

"Ashfur?" gasped Ferncloud.

"Ashfur! How did you…" The dark she-cat gasped and stared at Stonepaw. Stonepaw's gray-flecked fur bristled as he arched his back. His eyes glared blue at Hollyleaf. "Stop staring at me!"

"She thinks he's Ashfur," whispered Lionblaze.

"Ashfur!" gasped Hollyleaf. "No- Ashfur- I didn't mean it- I…" she trailed off, staring into the sky. " I-"

She snatched up Larkkit and Emberkit and dashed into the woods.

"Ashfur," gasped Ferncloud. "She killed Ashfur-" The words trailed off into a soundless wail of agony. "My brother- no!"

Nightpaw padded through a silver forest. She looked up at the leaves and pricked her ears, listening to the sound of birds chirping in the trees. She felt the leaves under her paws.

"Hello, Nightpaw," purred a voice behind her. Nightpaw pricked her ears and turned, blinking in surprise to see a silvery cat standing behind her.

"Greetings," meowed the strange cat. "I am Bluestar. I led ThunderClan before Firestar."

Nightpaw dipped her head respectfully. "Greetings, Bluestar," she said.

"Welcome to my territory," the blue-gray cat purred. "Feel free to hunt. Eat, rest. You have a long way to go yet."

"Thank you," said Nightpaw, puzzled. When Bluestar left, she turned. Nightpaw pricked her ears, pleased, when she saw a squirrel at the base of a tree.

She crept slowly up on the prey, feeling her claws slide stealthily out. Nightpaw leapt and killed the squirrel with one blow of her paw.

Immediately blood seeped out of the slits that she had made. Nightpaw stared in horror. The cuts made on fresh-kill were clean, and killed without blood. But dark sticky liquid was pooling around her paws, covering the black in red. The cloying stench of fear stifled her, and she turned, terrified, to flee. She ran until she reached a river. Hesitatingly, Nightpaw turned to look. The puddle of blood was slowly growing, moving towards her. She turned, ready to cross the river, but it was flowing with blood too.

Horrified, Nightpaw spun around and ran. Blood seeped through cracks in trees, rising from the grass and dripping from the sky. Nightpaw sped up, but the blood washed around her in waves, belly-deep, until she could no longer touch the ground. She floundered with a wail in the tide of red and heard Bluestar's voice like thunder in her ears.

_"No matter how fast you run, destruction can follow. Never forget; those with power also carry death on their shoulders."_

Nightpaw flailed in her nest, gasping for air, and opened her eyes. "Oh, StarClan!" she gasped. She stood, her heart racing, and forced herself to walk out of the den for air.

"Hey, Nightpaw! You're awake!"

Foxwhisker trotted up to her. "Hey, I wanted to ask; do you want to come on a patrol with us…"

Nightpaw nodded absently, but the image of the blood rose in her mind, and she knew that no matter how fast she ran, it would follow her.


	14. Part 2: Chapter 7

"The night of the Gathering has come," announced Firestar. "The cats coming with me will be Stormheart, Berrynose, Bumblestripe, Silverpool, Frostclaw, Flamestep, Dovewing, Foxleap, Ivypool, Lionblaze, Redpaw, Nightpaw, and Wavepaw. Jayfeather, stay here."

"But-"

"No. You were out all the last two days looking for juniper berries for Ferncloud's shock. You must have walked to StarClan and back. Stay here and rest. Thrushwing and Bluepaw can manage perfectly fine by themselves."

Jayfeather sank onto his haunches. "Thanks, Firestar."

"Come on, then," the leader said, and he sprang into the trees.

Nightpaw followed, excitement bubbling in her paws. This was her first time to a Gathering since- since-

Immediately she felt nauseated as a squirrel with a broken, bloodied leg dashed in front of her, reminding her of her dream. Waves of red lapped at her paws, and she gasped, trying to run-

And she blinked, and the vision was gone.

"Beat you there!" called Frostclaw, and he brushed past her. Forgetting all her worries about her dream immediately, she raced after him, following his white fur through the trees and into the hollow where they held the Gatherings.

"We're the first ones here!" Nightpaw yowled in delight.

"Look at me!" crowed Frostclaw, leaping into the boulder where the leaders sat. "Hey, y'all, I'm Froststar, the leader of all those cats down there on that ground, and I must really say, we did have a darned pretty green-leaf," he drawled. Nightpaw felt her whiskers twitch and had to jump up and join him. "I'm Nightstar, leader of ShadowClan, and I command you to give us your fresh-kill piles and feed us until we burst, because we're starving and we can't catch our own prey."

"Hey! I want to be the ShadowClan leader!" purred Frostclaw. He shoved her aside. "I'm Froststar, leader of ShadowClan, and I command you to give me all the territories and make the Twolegs my slaves!"

"I'm Blackstar, the _real _leader of ShadowClan, and I command you to get down from the Great Tree and stop acting like mouse-brained kits!" yowled another voice from the bushes, and ShadowClan cats burst from the edges of the clearing.

"Whoops," Nightpaw whispered, and they climbed down.

"He's just an old grump," Frostclaw declared. "If we did anything really wrong, StarClan would send a sign."

Nightpaw glanced up at the sky. It was clear, apart from some wisps of cloud drifting across the stars.

Soon the rest of ThunderClan caught up with them. Foxleap immediately headed towards some ShadowClan senior warriors who were telling a story about a fox to their apprentices. Whitepaw bounded over and started to play-wrestle with two ShadowClan apprentices. Nightpaw heard a rustling in the bushes, and WindClan burst through.

"I thought I smelled some WindClan stink on the air," remarked Frostclaw playfully, returning a glare sent by Breezepelt with a sniff. "Where's RiverClan?"

"There they are!" Nightpaw saw Mistystar burst through the bushes with her patrol close by her side. Streaming behind her was a familiar face- Hollyleaf? Nightpaw blinked and choked as she saw the cat stop and score a mark in the ground, out of which welled a swell of blood-

Nightpaw shrieked with disgust and surprise as the dark she-cat neared her. Hollyleaf veered away and headed towards Frostclaw instead. The white warrior bared his teeth. "Murderer!"

Hollyleaf spat back, "It was for the good of the Clans!"

"How did you even get in RiverClan?" spat Nightpaw.

"I told Mistystar that their father was a RiverClan warrior," she retorted. Her face softened. "Pebblefoot. Oh, how I loved him. But a fox killed him just before I was trapped in the tunnels. Larkkit looks like him, you know." She drew back her lips and snarled, "Leave me alone. You don't understand!"

Nightpaw seethed as Hollyleaf left.

"Cats of all Clans!" Blackstar called. "ShadowClan is faring well. A new litter of kits was born to Dawnpelt a few days ago, and Pinepaw passed his warrior assessment and is now a warrior, Pineclaw. "

"Pineclaw! Pineclaw!" cheered the warriors.

"The Twolegs have gone and the prey is running well once more," concluded Blackstar.

"Thank you, Blackstar," said Firestar. "ThunderClan would like to report a traitor," he called. The Clans gasped. "Just after the last Gathering, Sunsplash attacked Silverpool and threatened Nightpaw. If you see this cat, don't hesitate to drive him out."

Murmurs washed around the Clan like water onto the shore.

"Besides this, ThunderClan is doing excellently. We have made five new warriors. Foxwhisker, Frostclaw, Icewhisker, Flamestep, and Splashfoot, and Berrynose and Poppyfrost have had two healthy kits, named Berrykit after their father and Honeykit after their mother's sister."

Cheers rose from the cats, tempered by the sad memory of Honeyfern, the gentle she-cat who had died of snakebite.

"Icewhisker and Splashfoot were lost in the tunnels shortly after their warrior ceremony, but we are sure they are recovered. They are resourceful warriors."

Firestar was carefully avoiding the fact that they were still lost. Nightpaw glanced at Frostclaw, who seemed to read her thoughts. "Losing two new warriors will make our Clan seem weak," he explained. "Best he doesn't let on they're still gone, don't you think?"

"Dawnfall's kits have also been made into apprentices. Redpaw, Bluepaw, and Wavepaw are all here tonight. Unfortunately, her other kits had to stay home. Our patrol can only be so big!" He purred along with the rest of the Clans. "We have had a busy moon. I hope all of the Clans have fared as well as us."

Firestar dipped his head politely to Mistystar. "RiverClan?"

"A cat named Hollyleaf has made her way to us, with her kits, Larkkit and Emberkit," announced Mistystar. ThunderClan cats twitched their ears and shuffled their paws uncomfortably. "She brought us her kits in the hopes that we would provide them with food and shelter, and in return, she has given us the strengths of her family to sustain us."

"Now RiverClan is taking on rogues as well?" challenged a ShadowClan warrior. "You're almost as bad as ThunderClan!"

"RiverClan believes that all cats, no matter what their beliefs and laws may be, deserve a good home and fresh-kill in their bellies. If you were a loner, would you rather be turned out from a good home because you had never heard of StarClan?" challenged Mistystar. "These kits are half- RiverClan. Their father was brave Pebblefoot, who died chasing a fox off of our territory just a few moons ago."

Murmurs of agreement rose in every direction. The ShadowClan cat who had called out looked around and flattened his ears.

"We are also lucky enough to have two new apprentices. Leopardpaw and Ripplepaw are skilled in training, and are here tonight." Mistystar purred. A brown-and-black spotted tom and a small dark gray tabby stood as the Clans purred a welcome. "RiverClan is faring well," she finished, and stepped back.

"Beware!" called Duskstar. The cats in the clearing jumped at his sharp voice. "For WindClan has a new warrior and four new apprentices to fight any cat who thinks they can take us on."

The cats began to purr as they realized that Duskstar was joking.

"Please welcome Swiftcloud, Runningpaw, Harepaw, Berrypaw, and Sagepaw."

"Swiftcloud! Runningpaw! Harepaw! Berrypaw! Sagepaw!" yowled the cats. Three gray apprentices stood, the only obvious difference between them their eye colors- one had yellow, one green, and one amber. Next to them stood a red-furred tom; one of his eyes was blue and one was amber. A pretty tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat stood near them, dipping her head to her leader.

The WindClan deputy, Snowflower, hissed and added, "We are also strong enough to take on a _dog _and a _badger _who thought they could pay a visit to us." She glared at the two RiverClan apprentices Dogpaw and Badgerpaw and they hung their heads.

Duskstar glared at his deputy. The white and red she-cat dipped her head apologetically to him, but her eyes still glowed an indignant amber. "Also, please welcome Shadepaw. Shadepaw has chosen to follow the path of the medicine cat, and is now apprenticed to Littlecloud."

"Shadepaw! Shadepaw!" yowled the Clans. A small black she-cat with gray bands of fur around her paws and tail dipped her head politely to Littlecloud. "That must be Shadepaw," whispered Frostclaw in her ear.

"WindClan has nothing more to report. StarClan go with you." He dipped his head as the cats yowled.

"Duskstar is funny," Nightpaw said. "I like him."

Thrushwing turned around. "He's the WindClan leader!" she spat. "You must be loyal to only ThunderClan!"

"Okay, okay," muttered Nightpaw. "Who put ants in your fur?"

The Gathering began to break apart, and cats started to drift over to other Clans. Nightpaw pressed closer to Frostclaw as she saw Silverpool chatting with a RiverClan cat.

"ThunderClan, come on," Firestar called. Silverpool pricked her ears and said goodbye to the RiverClan she-cat as they bounded towards camp. Nightpaw and Frostclaw followed last, watching the other Clans gather and sprint away. They turned to dash into the trees. Nightpaw froze as a familiar orange pelt caught her eye. _Sunsplash?_

"No," she gasped, and dashed away into the forest.

She was padding in the forest again. She looked down at the leaves and purred with appreciation as she saw that they were thick on the forest floor- that meant there would be lots of prey.

She raised her paw to lick it absentmindedly and shrieked when she tasted blood. Nightpaw choked and coughed, trying to get rid of the taste, but-

"Hey, Nightpaw?"

Nightpaw raised her head groggily. Silverpool was looking down at her. She blinked and stretched. "What?"

"Do you want to go and catch something for the fresh-kill pile?"

"Hunting patrol?"

Silverpool's whiskers twitched. "No. Just mother-daughter. I've barely seen you since you were made an apprentice. I need to catch up with you."

"Oh." Nightpaw got up and stretched. "I guess so."

The guard that morning was Berrynose. Silverpool and Nightpaw nodded to him and went out in search of prey.

The forest was yellow and orange and speckled with brown, like the big tawny eyes of Emberkit. Nightpaw felt so shocked that it was leaf-fall already. Silverpool glanced down at her. "It was the end of green-leaf when you were born," she commented. "You're getting so big…" Nightpaw snorted. She pressed herself against her mother. "I'm still the same kit," she assured her.

"Still, I don't understand how you grew up so fast." Silverpool stopped talking and laid her tail over Nightpaw's mouth as a water vole emerged from under a pile of leaves. "I've got this," she whispered, and shot forward towards the vole. She picked up speed, silently drawing closer and closer to the tiny prey. She was only a mouse-length away when-

"Ha!" A caterwaul shrieked through Nightpaw's ears. Silverpool was knocked onto her back as a yellow streak shot past Nightpaw and pinned down the silver tabby, raising a claw and placing it at her throat.

"Sunsplash, let me go!" shrieked Silverpool, writhing under the tabby's grasp. But Sunsplash had the advantage of weight and size, and soon Silverpool was pinned to the ground with no chance of getting up again.

"No, Sunsplash!" screeched Nightpaw. She leapt onto Sunsplash's shoulders and tried to pry him off, forgetting in her desperation that her speed had no effect on his strength. She pulled back on his shoulders and gripped his scruff in her teeth, shaking from fear and the effort of holding him back.

A streak of white and a yowl both startled Nightpaw into leaping off of the orange tabby. She bustled Silverpool into the bushes as a familiar white and gray pelt flashed past her face.

Frostclaw dove onto Sunsplash. The two cats wrestled, screeching and yowling in a furious, deadly whirl of fur, teeth, and claws. Sunsplash was going to win! Nightpaw growled as he slit Frostclaw's ear open. Time slowed down as Frostclaw and Sunsplash crouched to leap. The two cats were diving at each other's throats, blood from Frostclaw's ear spraying in a glittering red arc of tiny droplets from Sunsplash's unsheathed claws. Frostclaw's mouth was open in a silent snarl of defiance, teeth stained pink. Sunsplash's paw swept around slowly to bite into the soft skin around Frostclaw's neck.

"No!" shrieked Nightpaw, diving between the two cats. The blow that was meant for Frostclaw instead cut deep into her flank, and she yowled with pain, landing in the dirt as the two fighting toms hissed in surprise. Frostclaw recovered first, feinting low to the ground, then springing up as Sunsplash lashed out at him. The orange tabby looked up in first surprise, then shock, then fear as all four of Frostclaw's paws swept down. Then the white and gray cat crumpled on top of Sunsplash, claws cutting neat gashes all over his striped pelt, and Frostclaw bit down hard on Sunsplash's neck.

Time crashed back down on Nightpaw like a wave. She watched in horror as Frostclaw spat out blood onto the forest floor and gazed down at his enemy.

"You never would have let me win," Sunsplash snarled weakly, paws slipping on the uneven ground as he struggled to stand.

Frostclaw glanced at Nightpaw, his blue eyes wide and scared. He backed slowly into the bushes, where Silverpool still lay, recovering.

Sunsplash's eyes closed. Nightpaw's tail swished. Was he dead? But her hopes- and fears- were dashed as he coughed, blinked, and looked up at her.

"Nightpaw?" he rasped.

"I'm-," he whispered, choking. They had to lean in to hear the words. "Sorry, so sorry…" His voice trailed off. His tail swept around once to touch Silverpool's flank before dropping to the ground to lie still, forever.

"Come on," Silverpool's voice cracked. "Let's get him back to camp."

None of them mentioned it when they finally got back to camp. They only stared into the distance as Firestar reported that they had found the body of Sunsplash in the woods. Dawnfall leaned against Silverpool the whole time. "I know that you believed that he was good in his heart," Dawnfall murmured. Silverpool sighed. "We'll never know if he really regretted it," she whispered. Nightpaw gazed at the two she-cats as they both began to walk back to the den. She looked across the clearing at Frostclaw. She didn't know if she could meet his gaze after all that had happened. But that night, as she fell asleep, she noticed that he had moved his nest. Moved it from where he and Icewhisker had lain in the warriors' den to the very entrance, where he could be nearer to her apprentice's nest.


	15. Part 2: Chapter 8

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

Nightpaw pricked her ears and padded out of the medicine den, sitting neatly with all four paws tucked underneath her. Her eyes adjusted slowly to the night's darkness, and she blinked as she saw a white shape flit through the crowd of warriors and flee through the entrance.

"Nightpaw's warrior ceremony is long overdue," began the leader.

At first, she thought her ears had fallen off. "Oh, yes!" squeaked Nightpaw. She felt soft breath on her ear and smelled the sweet tang of berries. "You deserve it, Nightpaw."

"I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon StarClan to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn."

He turned to Nightpaw, who gulped in a big breath of air, feeling she would never get enough.

"Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect your Clanmates, even at the cost of your life?"

"Oh, yes, I do!" yowled Nightpaw, throwing her head back and gazing at the stars. She blinked as a cat's face appeared in the stars, and Willowfall whispered in her ear, "Good job, sister. Now you just have one more choice to make."

She gazed at Firestar as he straightened and declared, "Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Nightpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Nightpool. StarClan honors your determination and your loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of the Clan."

"Oh, yes, yes, yes!"

Frostclaw pressed in close, and this time Nightpool leaned into his sweet-smelling fur, letting the sparks in her mind lead her way as they headed towards her new nest in the warriors' den.

Nightpool made her new nest right next to Icewhisker and Frostclaw's. She lay down, exhausted. Icewhisker came in later that evening, waking her up. He smelled of moss.

"Oh, hi Nightpaw," he meowed quickly. "What are you doing in the warriors' den?"

"It's Nightpool now," she sniffed. "Weren't you even here for my warrior ceremony?"

"Um…"

"You weren't? Oh, Icewhisker!" Nightpool flattened her ears in dismay.

"I can't be in camp every single moment of the day!"

"You could have at least told me where you were going!"

"It's none of your smelly foxdung business!"

Nightpool couldn't believe her ears. "You worthless piece of foxdung! I thought I saw you slipping out of the camp like a sneaky fox! Don't you even care about me?"

Icewhisker laid down with his back to her. Nightpool sniffed and leaned her head against Frostclaw, taking comfort in the warmth of his fur.

That night, at a time that must have been past moonhigh, Nightpool heard Icewhisker rustle in his nest, then get up, stretch, and leave the den. She waited awhile for him to go, then got up quietly and followed.

He headed towards the abandoned Twoleg nest on the WindClan border. Glancing nervously around, he bounded ahead. Nightpool was exhausted. She managed to stagger a few steps forwards, sit with a bump, and gasp as a silvery-blue she-cat came towards her, stars glowing like icy fire in her paws and eyes.

"Willowfall," she purred, and stepped forward to touch her sister's nose. "You came."

"Of course I did, Nightpool," purred her sister. Nightpaw caught a glimpse of her sister's fiery heart in the silver-green eyes. "You must rest. Dawn patrol tomorrow!"

Suddenly Willowfall turned and began to run. Nightpool dashed after her. "Wait! Wait for me!"

Willowfall stopped in the middle of the camp. She sat near the fresh-kill pile, waiting for Nightpool to come in. Then she stood, waved her tail, and meowed, "Beware, Nightpool, for all things will change here tomorrow. And do not forget your power."

"What? What do you mean?" begged Nightpool, but her sister vanished.

Nightpool waited for what seemed like ages, but finally she had to accept that her sister was gone. She choked back a wail of grief. It seemed as though she had lost her sister once more.

Curling up tight in her nest, she tucked her nose under her tail and pressed close to one of the white brothers, no longer caring which one it was.

"Nightpool! Dawn patrol!"

The mew broke through Nightpool's dreams. She opened her eyes and was nearly blinded by a blast of white sunlight. Blinking, she struggled to focus on something slightly less disorienting and painful.

Half of her wish came true. Her gaze landed on Icewhisker. He looked horrible. His fur was tangled, and his tail thrashed restlessly. His eyes were red and bloodshot. Nightpool dashed up to him. "What happened, Icewhisker?"

Icewhisker blinked at her and grunted. "Nothing," he grumbled, and sat with a thump to wash his fur.

Frostclaw and Flamestep padded up behind her. "What's going on?"

"Dawn patrol," muttered Icewhisker. Frostclaw groaned in pleasure as he stretched. "Looks like frost," he observed.

Nightpool glanced around. She had been too preoccupied to notice the thin layer of frost blanketing the ground, or the cool crispness of the air as she breathed.

"Like you!" she teased Frostclaw. He shoved her playfully. Nightpool stumbled, caught her balance and leapt at Frostclaw, slipping and falling on top of him. Frostclaw steadied her with his shoulder, gently propping her up. "Whoa, there, clumsy," he murmured. "Don't make me save you again!"

"Yaaaaah!" yowled Flamestep, leaping at them and bowling them both over. The trio went over in an orange, black and white flurry of fur.

Icewhisker snorted and smoothed his chest fur with a paw, even though it was already as fluffy and downy as goose feathers. "Are we going on patrol, or are we playing like kits?" he sniffed. Nightpool flicked him lightly on the shoulder with her tail. "Don't be such a grumpy old elder!" she teased him.

Exhaling through her nose, she headed towards the exit.

"Come on," she beckoned. The three toms stretched and followed her.

"Wait! Flamestep!" They looked around to see Bluepaw bounding up to them. She looked at Flamestep. "Thrushwing needs your help with something."

"Aw, can't it wait?" he complained. "I was going to patrol!"

"She needs your help. Now!" Bluepaw flicked her tail up at the camp. "Please- I think she needs more herbs."

"Fine," the orange tabby grunted. "See you," he said to the patrol. "You'll be fine with just three cats…?"

"Don't worry; I'll take care of them," Frostclaw purred. Nightpool bumped her shoulder against him. "I can take care of myself, mousebrain!"

As they walked along in the green and white of the crisp, leaf-bare forest, Nightpool met Frostclaw's gaze. His eyes were asking something. She studied them more closely. What a beautiful, deep blue they were. Like the sky at moonhigh. Like the very depths of a deep, dark pool of crystal-clear water.

She sighed and tore her gaze away. Sniffing the air for any hint of prey, she stiffened. "Hey. I smell WindClan!"

"WindClan?" growled Frostclaw. "Where?"

She drew in another breath, trying to pinpoint the location of the scent. "I think… they're invading the old Twoleg nest!"

She hissed. Icewhisker stiffened and said quietly, "Then we have to drive them off. If we don't, they'll steal Jayfeather's herbs!"

"Let's be sneaky," Nightpool said. "They're too fast. We'll never catch them if we blunder up to them like badgers."

"Let's skirt around the edge of the nest. Icewhisker, you can go around where that rotting beam from the nest is. Nightpool and I can go the other way, through that square opening," Frostclaw ordered. "You pretend to be alone. Confront them, and while their backs are turned, we'll jump on them!"

They approached the nest, and Icewhisker turned at the rotting beam. As he padded unsteadily out of sight, Nightpool nudged Frostclaw. "What's wrong with him?"

"Slept badly," he replied.

Nightpool shrugged and followed him around the edge of the nest. She heard WindClan voices.

"Do you think those ThunderClan cats will even notice we're taking their herbs?" snorted the voice of Snowflower.

"Nah. They're too fat and slow," Breezepelt's voice was aggressive.

"Wait! Shush. I smell ThunderClan." This voice belonged to someone she had never heard before.

"It's that new warrior we saw at the Gathering, Swift- Swift-something," Frostclaw said. "Swiftcloud. She looked sneaky."

"Of course you smell ThunderClan!" yowled Snowflower. "You're in their Twoleg nest! But don't make them angry- they might make you eat kittypet food!"

"Soon the herbs will be ours, though," Breezepelt snarled.

"They think they can take over ThunderClan with three cats?" snorted Nightpool. "Three, skinny, stick-cats who only eat rabbits? Don't make me laugh!"

She heard rustling, a surprised yowl, and Icewhisker's voice. "What are you doing in our herbs, Snowflower?" he said politely. "If you needed medicine, Littlecloud can come ask Jayfeather at any time he likes. You don't have to intrude."

"Well, we were rather afraid of you sitting on us," Breezepelt retorted. "You might have squashed us, you see."

"Get out!" hissed Icewhisker.

"How are you going to make us?" taunted Breezepelt. "There's just one of you!"

"If I concentrate hard enough, I can get them to come help me," Icewhisker said. Snowfeather snorted. "Right. Come on, guys. Let's get out of here!"

"You're not leaving until I _say _so," snarled Icewhisker.

"Let's go," whispered Frostclaw.

"Let's just drive him off and get it over with!" snorted Breezepelt.

"I swear- they're coming to help me right now," Icewhisker protested.

"Right- like you could-"

They burst into the opening, yowling. Snowflower turned, shocked. "Icewhi-" she said, but Frostclaw jumped on her and began to claw her. Nightpool attacked Breezepelt, darting quick as a bird around him to nip at his hind legs. Breezepelt hissed in exasperation.

"Slower than a ThunderClan cat, Breezekit?" Nightpool taunted as the black tom growled and tried to get a blow in. "Never! Can't grow your own herbs? Then go steal some from a Twoleg garden- not one Jayfeather grew himself!"

"…and stay out!" yowled Frostclaw, shoving Snowflower out of the nest. Nightpool kicked at Breezepelt and he fled. "You too!" she told Swiftcloud. Nightpool heard a stifled gasp from behind her and looked around, but it was only Icewhisker, narrowing his eyes at Swiftcloud. The tortoiseshell dipped her head. "I didn't want to invade," she whispered. "It was their idea. Snowflower ordered me." She backed away, then turned and dashed off after her deputy.

"Hey! You guys!"

Nightpool looked around for the source of the yowl. She saw Flamestep bounding towards that. "I saw those WindClan warriors running!" he yowled. "They looked like prey being chased!"

"I can summon my Clanmates to come and attack you- from the camp! I can't _believe _they fell for that!" snorted Icewhisker. Nightpool purred in amusement.

"What are you doing out here?" asked Frostclaw, padding up to the tabby.

"Thrushwing made me go get herbs," meowed Flamestep. "But Bluepaw caught up with me just back there and told me they had actually sent Foxwhisker and Splashfoot before me and forgotten. So I figured I would patrol with you."

"You want to lead? Nobody really was leading before," Nightpool invited. Her brother agreed. "Yes, definitely! I haven't hunted in days!"

"Come on, guys. Let's keep hunting," said Frostclaw, licking a scratch on his paws. Icewhisker padded, exhausted, after them. Nightpool watched the frost glittering on the ground. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" whispered Willowfall's voice in her head. She spun around, but there was no one behind her.

"Nightpool," hissed Frostclaw, breaking the spell. He cocked his ears at Icewhisker, who was blearily padding behind them, yawning and looking as though he hadn't slept for a moon. Nightpool looked back at Frostclaw. His expression was clearly asking, _When should we tell him?_

"Oh, Frostclaw," she murmured. "I don't know."

"You're talking about _them,_ aren't you," whispered Flamestep.

"What?" Icewhisker caught up with them. "Don't know what? Them what?"

Nightpool glanced, panicked, in Frostclaw's direction. "Um…" There was no going back now. She opened her mouth and let the story out. Frostclaw joined her. Their voices jumbled and mixed together, chattering like a bird, and-

"Wait! Can you go a bit slower?" pleaded Icewhisker. "I just woke up, you know."

Nightpool sighed. "We've found out the mystery," she explained. "Duskstar is your father. Thrushwing is your mother."

Icewhisker didn't seem to absorb these words for a few moments. Then he jumped, stared at the two cats, and shrieked, "Are you two crazy cats mad?"

He spun around and dashed into the forest.

"That went well," Frostclaw sighed. "I'll go find him. You keep patrolling with Flamestep."

"What? I don't want to stay here!"

"He's _my_ brother!"

"He's _my mate!_" hissed Nightpool, leaning towards him and drawing back her lips. Frostclaw shrank back, hurt glimmering in his eyes. His eyes flitted down to the ground, then looked back at her fleetingly. "Okay," he whispered. "You go ahead."

Nightpool spun around and marched away.

"Icewhisker!" she called. "Come back here now! It's not as bad as you think. Icewhisker? Icewhisker!" Snorting in disgust, she marched on, quieter this time.

"Come here right now, Icewhisker!"

Sighing, she stealthily ran in the direction his scent headed. Casting her gaze into a shadowy corner of the forest, Nightpool saw something furry and white vanish up a tree. Nightpool immediately unsheathed her claws and dashed after it.

"I'm done with you, Icewhisker," she warned, clinging to the branch. "Stop being a jerk or I'll jump on you!"

There was a rumbling noise that might have been a purr. Nightpool jumped at the white thing in outrage. "Why you-"

She buried her teeth in its scruff and picked it up. It was a squirrel. The end of the squirrel's bushy tail was white. Nightpool dropped the fresh-kill in defeat. Then, she stopped. Picking it up, Nightpool climbed down the tree and buried it. _Might as well bring back some fresh-kill for the Clan,_ she thought bitterly.

She pressed on, following his scent. She was nearing the catnip nest! Nightpool flattened his ears. Maybe after Icewhisker had calmed down, he had decided to bring some herbs to his mother. _Yes, that must be it. _Nightpaw drew closer and pricked her ears as she heard muffled giggling.

She bounded closer, then, thinking better of it, approached stealthily. _Oh, StarClan, don't let that be Icewhisker!_

She peeked around the rotting opening of the nest. Inside was dark, but as her eyes slowly adjusted, she recognized the brown-and-white pelt of Swiftcloud from WindClan. She looked nervous as she peeked around a huge mound of dried grass.

"Yaaaah!" A flash of white barreled down from the heap and bowled Swiftcloud over. Nightpool drew back in shock. Icewhisker had attacked the WindClan warrior! Looking back, she expected to see Icewhisker driving Swiftcloud away, but instead she gasped as she spotted them twining their tails around each other's, rubbing their heads together. She looked down, sure that she would see a pool of blood where her heart had cracked. But there was only the filthy-smelling dirt between her toes. Nightpool looked up and nearly jumped out of her fur. Icewhisker was standing over Swiftcloud, his teeth bared and his eyes glowing red. He looked up at her and hissed. Nightpool looked at Swiftcloud and silently shrieked when she saw her own body under Icewhisker's claws, lying lifeless on the ground. Stifling a screech, Nightpool blinked furiously and the vision faded, showing the real Icewhisker playfully wrestling with Swiftcloud. Nightpool bared her teeth and snarled quietly. They still hadn't noticed her. As they tumbled closer, Nightpool crouched, then leapt.

Swiftcloud shrieked as Nightpool landed in front of her and swiped her claws across her nose. "Intruder!" she yowled. "This is ThunderClan territory!" Swiftcloud hissed. "I was invited," she retorted.

"I see that!" Nightpool dove into battle. She swiped her claws over Swiftcloud's flank, making her hiss in fury. Swiftcloud tried to spin and catch her paws, but Nightpool slid neatly under her belly and came up face to face. Swiftcloud leapt at her and wrestled to the ground. Panting, Nightpool, dug her claws into Swiftcloud's belly and flung her off. The WindClan warrior flew into the dried grass at the other end of the nest. Swiftcloud stood, but Nightpool leapt on top of her back and Swiftcloud collapsed.

"Please, don't hurt her!" begged Icewhisker.

"She's intruding," Nightpool hissed as Swiftcloud sprang up. She disarmed Nightpool with a neat swipe of her paw and stood over her. Nightpool kicked her in the belly and knocked her down. Swiftcloud stood and backed away as Nightpool approached, then turned suddenly and leapt at Icewhisker.

Icewhisker's screech cut through the silence like a shard of ice as Nightpool knocked him over, pinning him down, putting her hind paws on his so he couldn't rake her belly in retaliation.

"You let her into our territory?" she meowed quietly.

"I-I am a loyal warrior!" he spat.

"A loyal warrior?" she hissed in his ear. "But loyal warriors don't go flirting around with WindClan she-cats!"

Icewhisker feebly pummeled her belly. "Let me up!"

Nightpool leapt off Icewhisker and began cleaning her paws, making sure that Icewhisker could see her claws, still unsheathed.

"Maybe," she growled between licks, "you'll be more loyal if I… tell Firestar?"

"You wouldn't!" begged Icewhisker, opening his blue eyes wider. "Please, Nightpool? I thought you loved me!"

For a second Nightpool felt a flash of pity, but she pushed it down. "I thought so, too. It helps, if you want someone to love you, to love them back!"

She turned. "And _you…_" Swiftcloud bared her teeth. "You don't belong in ThunderClan territory! Get out!" Swiftcloud hesitated for a second, but then, looking at Icewhisker with disgust, she fled.

Nightpool's snarl faded and she stared at her paws. A single tear splattered the ground. She heard the patter of white paws behind her. "Nightpool? Are you… okay?"

"You're right, Willowfall," muttered Nightpaw. "The decision _wasn't _hard to make." She whirled around and struck Icewhisker with all the force she possessed, sending a splatter of crimson into the air. Then she fled the nest.

**A.N.- OH NOOOOOOOOOO! D:**


	16. Part 2: Chapter 9

Icewhisker returned to camp almost half a day after her, dropping three small mice and a shrew onto the fresh-kill pile. Firestar jumped down from his den. "Icewhisker! You've been busy!"

"I decided the Clan needs some fresh-kill," Icewhisker muttered.

"Why do you have blood on you?" asked Nightpool innocently. Icewhisker glared at her, and suddenly she was afraid that she had made a mistake in goading him. If he revealed to the Clan that she had attacked a Clanmate, who knew what would happen to her?

But Icewhisker only gazed coolly at her before saying, "Chasing off an intruder," with his usual unruffled air. Firestar sniffed him. "What Clan?"

Icewhisker stiffened just a tiny bit before replying, "WindClan. Thought she'd help herself to a squirrel."

Cloudtail snarled. "WindClan has invaded too many times. We have to fight back! Prove to them that they can't just take prey whenever they want. Since when have they hunted rabbits?"

"There will be no fighting until we can confront WindClan," Firestar replied calmly.

"There's a Gathering tonight, mousebrain! Do you want to fight under the full moon?" spat Blossomfall, emerging from the warriors' den. Flamestep followed, flicking his ears in contempt at Cloudtail. "What would StarClan think of that?"

"Speaking of the Gathering, I must tell you who's coming with me." Firestar broke up the argument.

"Who?" asked Flamestep, eyes shining. Blossomfall quieted him with a flick of her tail. The other cats began streaming around, listening to Firestar.

"Stormheart, Dawnfall, Lionblaze, Brightheart, Dovewing, Ivypool, Nightpool, Frostclaw, Splashfoot, Flamestep, Foxwhisker, Icewhisker, Streampaw, Wavepaw, Sweetpaw, and Stonepaw, you will all come with me to the Gathering."

"Tell me everything once you get back," Bluepaw told Nightpool and Foxwhisker. Nightpool flicked her tail over the apprentice's ears. "Of course we will!"

...

Nightpool ran ahead of the rest of the patrol, letting her fur stream out behind her and her tail wave in the light breeze. It was warm for leaf-fall, and Nightpool enjoyed the sensation of light whiskers touching her pelt as the leaves fell around her. She heard a noise behind her and saw that Frostclaw had caught up.

"Hi," he purred. "Mind if I run with you?"

"Not at all!" she said.

"It's beautiful," he said, angling his tail at the white glittering trees.

"Yes," she replied.

After a while, she asked him, "Did you tell Firestar about the intruders?"

"The entire Clan knows now," sighed Frostclaw. "Most of them want to attack WindClan at once- including your sister."

"Her?" Nightpool tried to sound interested, but the truth was that the worry about Icewhisker had risen again and she wanted desperately to tell Frostclaw before his brother could.

"Bet I beat you to the hollow!" Frostclaw said, breaking her bubble of worry.

"No way! I'm faster than you!"

"Never!" Frostclaw sped up until his tail was at her shoulder. Nightpool purred and dashed ahead of him.

She saw the edge of the hollow too late. Screeching, she shot over the edge and landed hard on the ground.

"Oof," she groaned. Frostclaw came up. "Nightpool! Are you hurt?" The concern in his blue eyes made Nightpool purr. "No, I'm fine." She stood up stiffly. "Ow!" she exclaimed as she tried to put her weight on her paw.

"What's wrong?" Frostclaw looked behind them, making sure no one would come over the edge and run into them.

"Nothing-I-agh!" Nightpool fell. Frostclaw propped her up. "Come on. You've hurt it!"

"I-" Nightpool, furious, lapsed into silence. Frostclaw sighed. "Here. I'll help you walk. Lean on me."

Nightpool leaned against Frostclaw, feeling his soft pelt. Her paw ached, but the pain dulled if she didn't think about it. It was hard to think of anything besides the fact that she was leaning against Frostclaw, feeling his pelt, smelling his sweet scent.

Then an image of Frostclaw dragging himself across the hollow, covered in blood, came into her mind. She gasped, but Frostclaw's gentle touch brought her back from the image.

The rest of the Clan poured over the edge of the hollow. Firestar immediately bounded over. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Nightpool said. "I just slipped and twisted my paw."

"I'll get Jayfeather to make you a leaf wrap," promised Firestar. Nightpool sighed in relief. Her paw did hurt, a lot.

"Where are the rest of the Clans?" whispered Splashfoot.

Suddenly, screeching burst out from behind them. Nightpool turned, forgetting about her paw immediately as all three of the other Clans shot over the edge of the hollow.

"Attack!" screeched Onestar. "Attack!"

"The Dark Forest!" yowled Bluestar. "They're attacking!"

"Help!" screeched Spottedleaf, carrying a bundle in herbs in her jaws.

"No!" screeched Nightpool. "Not tonight! Tonight is the night of a Gathering!"

All of a sudden, she felt Frostclaw vanish. His warm body and soft fur disappeared, and she stumbled, looking for him. "Frostclaw!" Cats all around were screeching, cuts appearing in their flanks and legs before they, too, disappeared. "What's happening?" screamed Nightpool. Icewhisker, then Cloudtail vanished from view. A few puddles of blood were left on the forest floor.

Then Nightpool felt a searing pain in her flank, and everything was gone. The shadows merged and shifted into a new scene. The forest was still there, but trees surrounded them too closely, too tall and forbidding. Everything was a shade of gray.

"Where are we?" she whispered. She turned and felt relief pour over her as she saw Lionblaze, Jayfeather, Dovewing, and her siblings standing there. She bounded up to them. "What is this place? Are we stuck here forever?"

"I know what it is," said Lionblaze in a horse whisper. "We're in the Dark Forest."

Cats began to appear around them. Nightpool recognized Frostclaw, Duskstar, Swiftcloud. She rushed up to Frostclaw. "Help!" But the white and gray tom stared through her.

Cats emerged from the bushes, snarling. Lionblaze tensed behind her. "Tigerstar," he said stiffly.

Nightpool spun around. A dark tabby stood behind her, amber eyes glinting in the gloom.

"Greetings, cats from all Clans," he purred silkily. He spoke politely, but Nightpool saw his claws unsheathe as Lionblaze snarled.

"We have been talking, my Clan and I," purred Tigerstar pleasantly. "We used to belong to the Clans, did we not?"

"Not when you had no hearts," hissed Dovewing, looking terrified but defiant.

"Silence!" yowled Tigerstar. "We are all in this together," he continued. "We are all… _Clanmates."_ The word twisted in his jaws.

"We have decided that, since we all have the same goal… we need life to achieve that goal. Therefore, by taking your lives, we will have gained the ability to lead the Clans. Instead of sitting there and wasting your time with StarClan, you will pray to us. You are now asked cordially to give us your Clanmates' lives in exchange for, well… the continued existence of StarClan."

"Never!" yowled Lionblaze. Nightpool felt sick. She glanced at her littermates, who looked the same way.

"No? Then maybe… we'll have to make you," snarled Tigerstar. Blood rose around his paws and lapped at Nightpool's pelt. "You have a moon to decide… fight, or surrender…" he growled. She shrieked, but couldn't run. Tigerstar padded towards her, slashed through Nightpool's vision and she fell…

...

Bluepaw padded through the silvery forests of StarClan, her pads tingling as she stepped through meadows and forest. She sniffed the air, but couldn't smell any tang of the icy scent of StarClan cats. She only smelled emptiness and the sweet breeze.

Suddenly she jumped as a tiny shot of pain pierced her paw. She cursed as she hopped on three paws, trying to pull the thorn out, then spat in annoyance as she lost her balance and rolled over.

_Are there even thorns in StarClan? _She studied her paw, but there was no sign of a thorn or any swelling. She snorted. Maybe it had been her imagination.

She kept walking. She saw no sign of any other thorns. Shaking her head in exasperation, she sat down and began licking her pad.

Suddenly a faint yowl pierced the air. Bluepaw looked up, ear pricked, eyes alert.

Another screech reached her. "Help!" Bluepaw flattened her ears and ran towards the voice, urgent to save the cat whose voice called for her. As she ran, she heard more screeches.

The noise came from the edge of the meadow, where the grass melted into trees and bushes. Bluepaw stretched her paws as far as they would go, but the forest didn't seem to get any closer.

She started in pain and stumbled as another thorn pierced her paw, sending her tumbling into the grass. The meadow, which had been soft, lush and green when she had first set foot in it, was turning prickly and painful to walk on. She leapt up onto her toughened pads before the grass could scrape her skin and tugged at the thorn in her paw. She felt her teeth clack together above her pad and flattened her ears in confusion. The thorn was gone.

Another yowl, closer now, reached Bluepaw and she stumbled into a run again. This time the forest seemed to get closer, but before she could get into the rhythm of the run another sharp thing dug into her pad. Gritting her teeth, she kept running, determined to reach the source of the yowling.

As she ran, she felt more and more thorns lodge themselves in her pads and the grass grew pricklier and sharper until she felt like she was running on a hedgehog. "I'm coming," she grunted through clenched teeth, but the pain made her voice high and shrill. "I'm coming!" she yowled, louder this time. Finally she stopped at the scene. A beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat lay on the ground, leg clenched in the teeth of a horrible, shiny beast.

"No… trap…" groaned the StarClan cat, looking up and seeing Bluepaw.

"Who are you? What _is _that thing?" gasped Bluepaw, trying to pull the thorns out of her paw.

"Fox trap…" grunted the cat. "Name… is Spottedleaf…" she gasped and thrashed her tail in a feeble attempt to ward off Bluepaw's efforts to get closer. Go… away…" She twisted her head around so she could face Bluepaw. "It's a… a trap…"

Bluepaw thought this statement rather obvious; now she could remember Jayfeather's tales about fox traps at the old lake.

"How do fox traps get in StarClan?" she gasped, and before Spottedleaf could protest Bluepaw began digging at the base of the trap, trying to free the sharp stick so that the trap's jaws would loosen.

"Wait!" Spottedleaf's sharp command stopped Bluepaw. The StarClan warrior let her head flop to the ground. "All my Clanmates… trapped… only me… and Ashfur…"

"_Ashfur?_" growled Bluepaw. "Ashfur is in _StarClan?"_

"He found… his way to… StarClan. We know only… he was…forgiven." The tortoiseshell narrowed her eyes. "Run! Go away!"

"No! I have to help you!" Bluepaw darted forward and, before the StarClan warrior could stop her, she clenched her teeth around the chain holding the StarClan warrior's leg. The chain snapped, and Spottedleaf struggled to get to her paws.

Immediately the air grew cold. Bluepaw raised her hackles as the grass froze over and the trees turned frosty. "Spottedleaf?" The apprentice's breath whooshed out of her lungs in a sparkling cloud. "What's happening?" She tried to bound towards the StarClan warrior, but before she could reach her a glistening wall of ice erupted before her, sending her tripping backwards. She leapt sideways and caught a glimpse of Spottedleaf. Spottedleaf's eyes glittered. "No, Bluepaw!"

Walls of ice erupted all around Bluepaw, sending her stumbling into the snow. She struggled to her feet and lashed her tail around to keep her balance. Ice was bursting from the snow, causing it to shift and tumble Bluepaw over in a backwards flip. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to get her balance in the ever-shifting mass of snow. Suddenly she felt the ground below her grow still and hard. She stood on the flat surface. Bluepaw looked down and her claws slid out, fastening her paws to the ice. She was on top of an ice wall, and there, frozen in the ice, was a cat.

Bluepaw shrieked and slid backwards away from the cat. At first, she thought it was her. It had the same shade of pelt and the same bright blue eyes. But this cat had a silver- streaked muzzle and looked much older, and as Bluepaw looked closer she saw the faint outline of a star on her forehead. As she peered at the cat, she heard a hoarse, faint whisper. "_Get me out! Get me out!"_

Bluepaw frantically began to claw at the ice. She dug her claws in, and the ice parted easily- like fur. Bluepaw shrieked as red began to spread across the ice.

"Bluepaw!" shrieked a voice from below her. Spottedleaf was leaping towards her, and fast behind her was a dark tabby tom with glowing yellow eyes. The tom snarled savagely and clawed at the tortoiseshell's flanks, and Spottedleaf began to fade. She shrieked and fought the tom, but he only growled and viciously swiped at her until she was gone.

"No!" screeched Bluepaw as the ice below her disintegrated and she fell into nothingness…

...

Bluepaw sat upright in her nest, panting. She looked frantically around her. _ Have to tell Jayfeather! Got to get to Jayfeather!_ She scrambled to her paws, feeling as though she had just fought in a battle. Then she sank to her haunches. _Oh no! He's at the Gathering!_

She jumped up again. _Thrushwing, then. Thrushwing has to be here!_

But she saw no sign of the she-cat, either. Sinking into her nest, she curled her tail around her paws. Visions of ice and blood rose in her mind like bile. She forced them down, shutting her eyes.

Suddenly her eyes snapped open. All her muscles tensed. _I have to get out of here!_

Struggling to her paws, she bolted out of the entrance. Her heart pounded against her chest. She gazed up at the moon. _Oh, StarClan! Show me what will happen!_

**A.N.- Hi guys! Sorry I didn't upload yesterday. I was really busy. But that was pretty much the last chapter I have prewritten, and school is starting, so I'll have to upload much less frequently. I do have three chapters of Chatroom of the Clans up on DA (same username), so look on there. So yeah, hope you enjoyed! :3 Oh yeah, I added dividey period things because the asterisks I have on the Word document don't show up. :C**


	17. Part 2: Chapter 10

"Is she dead?"

"What just happened?"

"Is she sleeping?"

Nightpool opened her eyes. First she saw the concerned faces of Firestar, Blossomfall, and Sweetpaw. Then she looked around and saw Frostclaw, looking frightened. She twisted around and felt a soft pelt brush against her, and smelled her siblings. "What happened?" she grunted. She heard Flamestep's voice. "I think that was a vision!"

"Move over, move over," snarled a voice, and Jayfeather came into view. "Well? Go away! These cats need room!"

As the cats wandered away, Jayfeather bent over them and, pretending to sniff their flanks, hissed, "What happened? Did you see that vision too?"

"Yeah- what-" Splashfoot was twisting around, looking frightened. She gazed at Nightpool.

"Lionblaze and I saw it too, but we didn't collapse…" Jayfeather bustled about, muttering to himself. "Lionblaze!" he called. "Come help me with these herbs!"

"'Kay," Lionblaze replied. He bounded over. "You collapsed. Did you see it, too? The others didn't seem to see it."

"What happened?" asked Nightpool, squirming in her spot. A shot of pain ran through her leg.

"They want to fight us. They don't just want revenge now. They want life. To take over. To rule."

"Let all Clans join here!" yowled Blackstar. Nightpool staggered up and braced her paws on the ground. "ShadowClan is faring well. Two new kits have been born, and the prey is running well, especially for leaf-fall."

"Do you need help?" asked Lionblaze. Nightpool shook her head. "It'll be fine." She limped over to the crowd of cats gathered around them. Frostclaw approached her. "Nightpool! Are you all right? I just saw you collapse- what happened? Are you hurt? What's wrong?"

"I was just- tired," she muttered. She leaned against Frostclaw. His pelt was soft and comforting. Her legs were still shaking, and she sat. Lionblaze bent low over her and hissed, "I'll go get your sister and brother." Nightpool nodded.

"Seriously," whispered Frostclaw. "What's wrong? You and them- whispering all the time. I _know _something's up."

Nightpool looked into his eyes and her heart ached. "Frostclaw, I- can't. You have to trust me. I'll tell you when I can. I'm sorry-" She turned her head away. She hated keeping her power a secret.

Still, Frostclaw looked dubious. "You don't have to tell me," he said. "I understand."

Purring gratefully, Nightpool leaned her head against Frostclaw. Splashfoot and Foxwhisker came up behind them with Lionblaze and Jayfeather. The orange tabby shot Nightpool a glance that she understood at once. She licked Frostclaw once behind the ears and said, "You have to go now."

Frostclaw sighed and stared into her eyes. He opened his mouth once, closed it, and looked away. "Fine."

"I'm sorry," she said again as he padded away.

Nightpool turned her gaze to Lionblaze. "What?"

"This is it," hissed Jayfeather in their ears. He pricked his ears warily as Blackstar finished his report and Duskstar stepped up. "A new warrior has chased a fox off our territory," he called. "Please congratulate Swiftcloud!"

A chorus of meows rang out as the tortoiseshell stood up. Nightpool hissed at the WindClan warrior.

"This is _it_!" Jayfeather growled. "We have to tell the Clans!"

"_What?_" Nightpool hissed. "I can't tell them! The time isn't right!"

A crack of thunder and a flash of lightning drowned out her words and made her fur stand on end. Nightpool screeched in shock as the lightning faded, leaving a blurry streak across her vision. She looked wildly around, but the other cats were standing just as before, listening to Mistystar report about two apprentices who had been made warriors.

"That was a sign!" hissed Jayfeather. "We _have to!_"

"How do _you _know it's a sign?" Nightpool growled.

"I don't know, it might be the fact that I'm a _medicine cat, _mousebrain! Do you have to be so dumb?"

Nightpool hissed, but Lionblaze stepped in between her and Jayfeather. "Stop!" he ordered. "Jayfeather, apologize. You can't insult her like that. And Nightpool, he's right. We have to tell them."

"I can't! Frostclaw- Frostclaw will think I lied to him."

"Has he ever asked you about the Dark Forest?" Lionblaze challenged her. "Have you ever told him you _don't _have powers given to you by StarClan? Does he know, for _sure, _that Ivypool is secretly spying on Tigerstar, Flamestep can read minds, and we have to fight an entire Clan of evil cats within a moon?"

"No, but-"

"Then you're _not _lying to him. You just aren't telling him everything. Now, stop being a mouse and come up with us!"

"ThunderClan is faring well!" yowled Firestar. "However, we wish to inform you that any _prey-stealers_-" he glanced sideways at Duskstar, "-will not be tolerated!"

Nightpool glared at Lionblaze. He hissed at her, "Come on!" before approaching the Boulder.

"Overall, ThunderClan is doing well!" Firestar stepped down. "If no one has anything else to say, this Gathering is over!"

"No!" yowled Lionblaze, leaping onto a boulder lower than Firestar's. "This Gathering is _not _over!"

Whispers rose around them, broken by the ShadowClan deputy standing and yowling, "You disrespect the leaders by interrupting!"

"They had nothing else to say," Lionblaze replied coolly. He gazed at Jayfeather, Nightpool, and her siblings. Sighing, Nightpool guided Jayfeather up the rock with her tail. Splashfoot and Flamestep followed.

"Cats of all Clans!" began Lionblaze. "Things are not all as they seem. For as you all report peace and plentiful prey, StarClan- and our lives- are in danger." Murmurs rose from below them. Nightpool felt so tall, standing up there above all the cats. The ground swooped below her. Flamestep put a steadying tail on her shoulder. "Easy."

"A long time ago, the evil ShadowClan leader, Tigerstar, was killed. As you know, when cats die, they go to StarClan."

"No! Tigerstar didn't go to StarClan!" yowled Frostclaw, shocked.

"No, he didn't. He went to the Place Of No Stars, the Dark Forest. He and all of the evil cats instead went there when they died. These cats wanted revenge on their killers, so they began manipulating cats from the clans. Some of these cats are here now, shocked that we know this. But they won't tell you it was them, because they are afraid. Tigerstar deceived these cats into thinking that they were doing good for their Clans. Through these cats, they would attack the Clans and get revenge. But after a while, they decided that they wanted more. They want new life, and to take over the Clans. So the Dark Forest plans to take us over and use our lives to make their vision of the warrior code."

Gasps and murmurs of disbelief rose from the crowd of cats below them. One cat stood and challenged, "How do we know this is true? How can we be sure you're not lying?"

"I believe him," said Willowshine, standing.

"As do I," agreed Kestrelflight.

Shadepaw stood, looking terrified, ears pressed flat to her head. "I do too. And so does my mentor, Littlecloud."

"How?" gasped Duskstar, glancing at Firestar.

"A long time ago, I received a prophecy from StarClan. _There will be three, kin of your kin, that hold the power of the stars in their paws."_

"My prophecy was like that," Kestrelflight said. "_Three will rise, who hold StarClan's power in their paws._"

"Mine too," yowled Willowshine. "_Two shadows stretch over StarClan, tall enough to hold the stars._"

"And the prophecy I received when I became an apprentice," said Shadepaw. "_One with no fear will heal the stars."_

"But StarClan must have found out that this was not enough. They sent another prophecy. _Three will save three, two made into one._ Shortly after, we discovered the powers of Nightpaw, Flamepaw, and Splashpaw._"_

Willowshine arced her tail over her back. "Our prophecy led me to discover the powers of the apprentices Leopardpaw and his sister Ripplepaw."

"Soon after the last Gathering, Wildfire, Sparrowflight, and Pebblestep received their warrior names," called Kestrelflight. "Wildfire can leap any distance, no matter how far. Sparrowflight can see through the forest to any Clan she wants. Pebblestep can emerge from any river dry."

"My apprentice Shadepaw is the only cat with power in ShadowClan. But she is powerful," yowled Littlecloud. "No cat can see her when she doesn't want to be seen. She can slip into places unnoticed and spy."

"ThunderClan has not three, but six cats with these powers. Splashfoot can read emotions and even change them. Flamestep can tell whether cats are telling the truth. Nightpool," Lionblaze glanced at her, "can run through the forest faster than eyes can see."

"Not possible!" yowled a cat from below, and with a pang Nightpool recognized Frostclaw.

"Dovewing's senses stretch to the farthest Clan borders. Jayfeather can walk in the dreams of cats. And I can beat any enemy in battle."

Jayfeather stepped in front of Lionblaze. "Cats from your own Clans had been training with these evil cats."

Suddenly Nightpool heard Willowfall's voice whisper in her ear. _"You can speak now. Give them your words."_

She stood, looking questioningly at Lionblaze. He looked surprised, but dipped his head, stepping back.

"I just want to say that learning of this new enemy- you're probably as shocked as I was when I was an apprentice. Some of these cats you probably knew personally, or thought you did. I promise you, you still do. This is just something that they had to keep from you- from _all_ of you." She glanced down at Frostclaw, but couldn't read his expression from so high up.

"And the cats who fought for the Dark Forest- They thought they were doing the right thing- helping become better fighters. They were tricked.

"Us six- the cats of the prophecies- just had a vision- that's why we collapsed. Tigerstar brought us to the Dark Forest and- and- he told us-" Suddenly the cats below her blurred and spun as the full force of what she was doing hit her. She was _talking _to all four _Clans_ like she was their _leader!_

Immediately Willowfall was beside her, weaving around her to help her keep her balance. _"Don't lose your courage, sister."_

Nightpool drew in a deep breath and continued. "He told us that we have- have one moon."

Instantly everything was silenced. Cats were murmuring to each other, glaring up at the cats on the boulder.

"I promise you this is true," said Nightpool. "Look-" She leapt down from the rock and began to run in circles, as fast as she could. The clearing blurred around her and she enjoyed the sensation of running, leaving everything behind.

She skidded to a stop. Cats were watching her, their eyes wide and their tails stiff and fluffed out.

"Cats of all Clans, this is it!" yowled Duskstar, making everyone jump. "We must fight! We must fight for our lives and our homes!" WindClan cats glanced at each other, then raised their muzzles and yowled agreement.

"I agree with Duskstar," said Firestar quietly. "ThunderClan will fight alongside WindClan to save our home." The ThunderClan cats cheered wildly.

"We must! I agree," said Mistystar. RiverClan murmured their support. The cats all turned to look at Blackstar.

The white tom glared down at ShadowClan. Darkwhisker, his deputy, nodded, raising his tail to show authority. He jumped up onto the Highrock and the two cats had a whispered conversation. Dovewing's ears twitched as she tried not to listen.

Finally Darkwhisker drew back and Blackstar yowled, "ShadowClan will fight, too!" ShadowClan cats yowled in fierce agreement with him and Blackstar stepped down.

"I have one more thing to confess," Firestar called, dipping his head to Blackstar. "When we left our home at the lake, it wasn't because of the Twolegs."

"Not more secrets!" yowled Tigerheart.

"Well, the Twolegs helped me decide- but I thought we could escape Tigerstar- leave him behind. I was a mouse-brain."

"Firestar-" Lionblaze began.

"The leaders of each Clan must designate a time and place to meet," said Firestar. "Why don't the leaders meet here in two days' time, at sunhigh? Then we can decide how we will train our warriors to fight together."

"I agree," said Mistystar. The other two leaders murmured their assent.

"Then this Gathering is over!" yowled Firestar. "And StarClan be with you until the end!"

_The end, _Nightpool thought. _The end is near._

__**A.N.- I LIED! THIS was the last chapter I have prewritten! Lol. **

**So... Whaddaya think is gonna happen? :D**


End file.
